UPDATE: The tsunami advisory has been lifted and all beaches are now open. ADVERTISING UPDATE: The tsunami advisory has been lifted and all beaches are now open. ————— UPDATE: A tsunami advisory has been issued for the state of Hawaii
UPDATE: The tsunami advisory has been lifted and all beaches are now open.
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UPDATE: A tsunami advisory has been issued for the state of Hawaii following an 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to hit Hawaii. However, sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts, creating a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as people near shorelines and in harbors.
The estimated time of arrival for the initial wave is 3:24 a.m. Wednesday morning. The threat may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.
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EWA BEACH, Hawaii (AP) — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says current data indicates Hawaii doesn’t face a big threat from tsunami generated by a large earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile.
Center Director Chip McCreery told reporters Tuesday geophysicists are still evaluating how much energy emanated from the magnitude-8.2 earthquake. He says they’re currently evaluating deep ocean sensors off the coast of South America to determine what level of alert to issue for Hawaii.
McCreery says hopefully the alert will be limited to an advisory. That would warn of strong currents that could threaten swimmers and potentially cause minor flooding of beaches and harbors. But advisories aren’t issued when there’s a danger of flooding on land. Advisories also don’t necessitate full evacuations.
The earthquake struck off northern Chile on Tuesday.
