A small swell gently rocking the boats in Marina del Rey on Wednesday morning was a welcome sight following a tsunami advisory issued in the wake of a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia hours earlier.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in boats and helicopters were seen Tuesday night letting people in the marina area know that a tsunami watch had been upgraded to an advisory for the coastal areas of Southern California.
“You know, especially with the vast distance of the Pacific, where going just by a lot of the instruments out over the waters, so it’s very limited,” KTLA Meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said. “It’s not as if we’re looking at a satellite radar with a storm being up in the air. We’re talking about something surface-level, so it’s a little bit harder to get all of that information … and we always err on the side of caution.”
The tsunami advisory was expected to remain in place until Saturday due to the threat of strong currents and waves, but was canceled by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials on Wednesday morning.
“A Tsunami was generated by this event, but does not pose a threat to these areas,” the NOAA stated in its update. “Some areas may see small sea level changes. The decision to re-occupy hazard zones must be made by local authorities,” the statement reads.
Tuesday’s quake that struck about 80 miles off the east coast of Russia was the largest since a magnitude 9.0 hit Japan in 2011. The overnight earthquake could rank as the sixth most powerful ever recorded.
Many people in Newport Beach were seen swimming and fishing in the water despite warnings from officials about the possible tsunami.
Newport Beach police were seen telling people to get out of the water or leave the area. They eventually closed the gates to the pier around midnight.
Several other Southern California piers and beaches were closed as a precaution on Tuesday evening.