Tsunami Watch for Hawaii & Alaska (Japan)! CANCLED

[justleesa]

Keep your eyes and ears open!

HONOLULU - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch Friday for Hawaii and Alaska's western Aleutian islands after a 8.3-magnitude earthquake in the northern Pacific.

The center said the waves could reach the Hawaii's shores just after midnight Hawaii Standard Time. It was expected to hit Alaska's Dutch Harbor about an hour earlier.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said it was not immediately known if a tsunami was generated.

It issued a warning for the western Aleutians Islands from the villages of Nikolski to Adak and warned that people in low-lying coastal areas should remain alert to instructions from local emergency officials.

Adak is a community of 167 about 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage. Nikolski is a village of 31 about 900 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The warning center issued a tsunami watch for the rest of the Aleutians and coastal areas along south-central Alaska to Seward.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings following the quake. The agency said waves as high as 3.3 feet could hit the northeastern coast of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Officials in towns along Japan's Pacific coast issued evacuation orders to flee to higher ground.

The quake struck about 310 miles east of the Etorofu islands between northern Japan and Russia, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake.

Tsunami waves — generated by earthquakes — are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.

 

[redrover]

When was it? I thought I felt a teensy weensy jolt. No warning siren here yet. Have to turn the TV on, thanks Lisa.

 

[justleesa]

From what I'm reading, if it turns into one for us is should hit around 12:24AM our time. Lucky for me I am on High ground (at work) Roger is at home, he'll have to come running up here because we live at sea level.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Japan is NW? So, for us tourists on the South side all should be well, eh?

The guy on TV just said "there was no imminent danger". Guess that means I've time to finish what I'm doing

 

[Debraw]

There have been two very strong quake notices within the last two hours from the

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007xmae.php

The first notice was for a 7.7 and then I guess they upped it to a 8.2. It does not look like it was 2 different quakes, just one that was bigger than what they orginally thought.

 

[Kim]

Japan is NW?

I think they meant NW Hokkaido. There's very few people who live there. NW Honshu coast would also be exposed from that direction but I'd have thought a wave would have run along the coast more than breaking into it.

We didn't hear anything much here yet.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Nope. I meant Japan is NW of here. I know where the Kurils are; been there.

 

[Kim]

Nope. I meant Japan is NW of here. I know where the Kurils are; been there.

I got it wrong too. I meant NE.

 

[ArcticDiver]

To clarify:

I'm in Hawaii right now. On the island of Oahu to be specific. So, Japan is NW of here. If I were home in AK Japan would be SW. So, I think I got it right.

I see you are on Kyushu. So, yep, that would be a bit NE of you.

 

[Kim]

OK gotcha.

I think you guys will know for sure if there's anything coming. Anything that's really there will hit Alaska and Japan first.