Tonga hit by tsunami after volcanic eruption | CNN (2024)

Most of the US West Coast remains in a tsunami advisory in the wake of an underground volcanic eruption near Tonga.

The highest waves were recorded in Port San Luis, California (4.3 feet); King Cove, Alaska (3.3 feet); Area Cove, California (3.7 feet); Crescent City, California (3.7 feet); and Port Reyes, California (2.9 feet), according to the National Weather Service.

Here’s a look at the latest numbers:

A harbor official pulls debris from rising waters out of Santa Cruz harbor in Santa Cruz, California, on January 15.

Santa Cruz, California,Fire Department Chief RobYoung explained why even smaller waves can quickly become a threat.

Young told CNN’s Jessica Dean in an interview that the first initial 1- to 2-foot tsunami wave was at about 7:40 a.m. PT, which coincided with high tide, and then a larger wave occurred around 8:50 a.m.

“I was at our harbor, where oursurge was approximately 7 feet. So before we have the wave comein to increase the level, itdraws everything out of theharbor, and then it comes in.And so it was about a 7-footincrease inside of about 3minutes, so it creates a strongcurrent, and then damage occurredin the harbor to some of thedocks,” he said.

Santa Cruz has closed its beaches for safety reasons.

“Even though they don’tlook like they’re dangerous atthe time, there’s a reason forit,” he said.

“Everybody that was walking up tous in between said, ‘well, it’s 1to 2 feet, what’s the big deal?’And then when they saw the highmark on these docks, theyrealized that’s 6 feet higherthan right now, and the swinghappens that fast.So if you’re out on a beach andyou have a 6-foot increase inthe water level inside of 3minutes, you may be stuck in thewater and not able to exit,” he said.

Tsunami advisories are currently in place for most of the West Coast of the United States and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.

Advisories have ended for Hawaii, southeast Alaska and some of the British Columbia coastline.

Here’s the definition of a tsunami advisory:

Tsunami advisories and warnings remain all along the coast of Japan following an underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The highest tsunami observed in Japan following the Tonga eruption was 120 centimeters (3.9 feet) in Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima prefecture, followed by a 110-centimeter (3.6 feet) tsunami at Kuju Port in Iwate Prefecture, NHK said.

Ninety-centimeter (about 2.9 feet) waves were reported on Chichijima Island in Tokyo Prefecture, Tosa-Shimizu in Kochi, Gobo in Wakayama, Hamanaka Town in Hokkaido and Kushimoto Town in Wakayama.

There were 80-centimeter (about 2.6 feet) waves in Muroto in Kochi Prefecture and Hachijojima Island in Tokyo Prefecture. Several other locations reported waves of 70 centimeters (about 2.2 feet) and 60 centimeters (about 1.9 feet), as well as several smaller ones.

The Japan Coast Guard is assessing if there has been any damage, but so far none has been reported. It is still very dark, and more waves are expected, according to NHK.Officials are asking people to stay alert and stay away from beaches.

Earlier footage shared on NHK by a viewer in Setouchi Town on Amami Oshima Island showed bumper-to-bumper cars evacuating to higher ground.

Footage on NHK also showed people sleeping on floors in evacuation centers in Iwate Prefecture where a tsunami warning remains.

Savannah Peterson captured waves crashing against the seawall in Pacifica, Calif., on Saturday morning.

Petersen lives near the Pacifica Municipal Pier and said some of the waves came all the way up to her door.

“It can get dicey like this during the King Tides but the changing level of the tide due to the tsunami was remarkable. Varying sea levels paired with high tide to make for a very scary morning. No damage really yet,” she told CNN over Twitter.

A tsunami advisory is in place for the West Coast following an underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for some areas after a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific near Tonga.

“Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for the southern Amami island and Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture and a tsunami advisory for all coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean. A three-meter tsunami is expected to reach Japan following an undersea volcanic eruption off the Pacific nation of Tonga,” Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

The highest tsunami observed so far is 120 centimeters, or about 3.9 feet, in the Kominato district of Amami-Oshima Island at 11:55 p.m. on Saturday [9:55 a.m. ET], according to NHK.

The tsunami warning was also expanded to the northern Japan prefecture of Iwate, NHK reported, and people are urged to stay away from beaches.

The White House, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is “closely monitoring” the tsunami advisory situation “in case any local needs arise,” according to an official.

A FEMA spokesperson tweeted that the agency does not expect damages from the tsunami but is deploying a FEMA liaison officer to offer support if needed.

“While we don’t expect damages from the tsunami, to ensure rapid support to state, tribal & local partners, we’ve deployed a @fema liaison officer to California State Operations Center,” Jaclyn Rothenberg, a FEMA spokesperson, tweeted Saturday. “We’ve coordinated w/partners in American Samoa & Hawaii & they have no impacts from this event.”

A tsunami advisory was canceled in Hawaii but remains in place for the West Coast following an underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has canceled the tsunami advisory for Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, following an earlier underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga.

However, the center warned that “small sea level changes, strong or unusual currents may persist for several additional hours in some coastal areas,” and boaters and swimmers should exercise caution.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency advised residents to “rely on local authorities for guidance on when it is safe to re-enter coastal areas.”

There are “no reports of major damage so far,” according to Adam Weintraub, the agency’s communications director, but authorities are still assessing for any damage.

“We’re working with the counties to get a better picture of the impact,” he added.

A tsunami advisory is still in effect for the US West Coast, stretching from Alaska to California.

CNN obtained video of high tide coming into a harbor in Santa Cruz, California.

Santa Cruz, Calif., city manager Elizabeth Smith told CNN that there was some “minor flooding” at the city’s harbor and that there is a “multi-jurisdictional team” monitoring the surges on Saturday after an underwater volcano eruption near Tonga triggered a tsunami alert for the western coast of the US.

She added that beaches and the harbor will be closed until noon and that people were evacuated out of stores and the area close to the harbor, but no one was evacuated out of their homes.

A surf contest was also postponed and expected to resume later today, Smith said.

Smith said that a second surge “went up 3 feet and then dropped 5 feet,” which she called “pretty interesting.”

Smith said authorities recommended that people not be in the area. They are expecting the high tides to subside by mid-morning and are watching closely for any changes.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California has closed county beaches, harbors and piers in the county and activated the county emergency operations center due to the tsunami advisory, according to the agency’s Facebook account.

The department told residents to stay off the beach and out of marinas and harbors, saying there will possibly be “higher than normal tidal surges along the beaches.”

The city of Laguna Beach in the county also announced it had closed its beaches and boardwalks.

After an underwater volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami, social media footage showed that Tonga experienced flooding, along with ash that fell from the sky.

In this video, the time was only 5:10 p.m. local time in Tonga’s capital of Nuku’alofa, but it was already dark because of the ashes.

Waves can be seen coming ashore here:

It was “raining ash and tiny pebbles, darkness blanketing the sky,” Twitter user @sakakimoana said in a followup tweet.

The city of Laguna Beach, Calif., has closed all beaches and boardwalks during the tsunami advisory.

“A tsunami advisory has been issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center for the Orange County coast. All beaches and boardwalks are closed until further notice - please stay out of the water and away from the shore,” according to the city’s Twitter account.

The advisory was issued after a small tsunami wave was detected in the Pacific Ocean in the wake of a volcanic eruption near Tonga.

CNN obtained video of high tide coming into a beach in Santa Cruz, California.

The first waves from the tsunami have begun hitting the mainland US Pacific Coast, Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, told CNN.

Some observations were measured as follows:

Snider says the event is not done.“This may not be the largest wave as this is coming in yet,” he said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no damage has been reported thus far from tsunami observed in the Hawaiian Islands.

“A tsunami is currently being observed by all Islands’ Emergency Management.We are relieved that there is no reported damage and only minor flooding through-out the islands,” the agency tweeted.

Strong warnings from the National Weather Service Seattle Saturday morning after a tsunami advisory was issued for the US Pacific Coast in the wake of a volcano eruption in the island nation of Tonga.

“Move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas in these areas,” NWS Seattle tweeted.

“Strong currents and larger waves are possible along these coastal areas. The first wave may not be largest,” the agency warned.

“Continue to stay out of the water and away from shore along the coastal areasand continue to monitor for updates.”

NWS Seattle estimates the arrival for first wave on the Washington Coast at the following times.

“HOWEVER, note that the first waves will likely NOT be the largest. Larger waves may continue to impact the coast for hours after the initial wave,” NWS Seattle tweeted.

Satellite imagery showed the violent underwater volcanic eruption that first occurred on Friday near Tonga in the South Pacific.

The volcano is located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southeast of Tonga’s Fonuafo’ou island, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand, and about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Nuku’alofa.

New Zealand’s official weather service said its weather stations across the country had observed “a pressure surge” on Saturday evening from the eruption.

Scientist Emily Lane, of New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, told the New Zealand Science Media Centre that it was a “very significant” eruption.

Tsunamis generated by volcanoes are much less common than tsunamis from underwater earthquakes, Lane said.

The volcano had been active since Dec. 20, 2021, but was declared dormant on Jan. 11, according to RNZ.

A tsunami has hit Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu.

Waves crossed the shoreline of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, on Saturday, flowing onto coastal roads and flooding properties, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand.

Tonga’s King Tupou VI was evacuated from the Royal Palace after the tsunami flooded the capital, RNZ reported, citing local media reports that a convoy of police and troops rushed the monarch to a villa at Mata Ki Eua.

Residents headed for higher ground, RNZ said, as waves swept the palace grounds, waterfront and main street.

Ash was falling from the sky in Nuku’alofa on Saturday evening and phone connections were down, according to RNZ.

The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano first erupted Friday, sending a plume of ash 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) into the air, according to RNZ.

A second eruption hit on Saturday at 5:26 p.m. local time, RNZ reported.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said it recorded a tsunami wave of 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) near Nuku’alofa at 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves of 2.7 feet (83 cm) were observed by gauges at Nuku’alofa and waves of 2 feet at Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, Reuters reported.