No danger presently exists…
Evacuations were underway in the San Francisco Bay Area following a tsunami warning issued for areas along the West Coast after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck 60 miles off of the Northern California coast earlier today.
#NOW: Evacuations underway in the San Francisco Bay area as a Tsunami warning continues for areas of the West Coast. pic.twitter.com/51BUXFNCDo
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) December 5, 2024
Sirens were heard as access to the beaches in San Francisco was closed off ahead of waves expected to impact coastal California within 20 minutes, as of 2:50 p.m. (ET).
The City of Berkeley issued evacuation orders for 15,000 residents in West Berkeley due to the potential threat.
❗️🌊🇺🇸 – A Tsunami Warning has been activated for the San Francisco Bay Area, with expected wave arrivals at approximately 12:10 PM. Sirens are currently sounding along the northern Californian coast, signaling the approach of the tsunami.
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) December 5, 2024
Visual evidence from local sources… pic.twitter.com/sVOEasvqoZ
Warnings affected nearly five million Americans in parts of Northern California and Oregon, with residents advised to move to higher ground immediately.
However, at 3 p.m. (ET), the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center issued a revised bulletin stating that despite earlier evidence suggesting cause for concern, there is currently no tsunami danger for the West Coast of the United States.
NBC Bay Area has additional details:
Despite a scary tsunami warning, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now say that a damaging tsunami will not hit the West Coast.
Dave Snider, the Tsunami Warning Coordinator for the NOAA, said the strength of the earthquake and the proximity to the shore forced it to issue the tsunami warning. But as his team continued to analyze the impact of the quake, he now does not believe a dangerous tsunami will strike.
“For the US West Coast, this is tricky stuff,” Snider said. “This is time-based. So we have to get that alert out, and then confirm, yes or no, that something is happening.In this case, thankfully, it looks like a destructive wave is not on the table today.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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