A sunami advisory has been issued for coastal areas of California after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake hit central Chile on Wednesday.
The tsunami advisory extends from San Onofre State Beach in San Clemente, about 55 miles north of San Diego, to Ragged Point, about 50 miles north of San Luis Obispo, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
National weather officials expect the tsunami will begin to affect the California coast about 4:46 a.m. in Newport Beach travel swiftly, arriving a minute later in the Port of Los Angeles. By 5:06 a.m., the tsunami will arrive in Santa Barbara, and by 5:10 a.m., in Port San Luis.
A “widespread inundation of land is not expected” for these advisory areas, with the tsunami’s height not expected to exceed 1 foot. Forecasters expect strong currents and dangerous waves, and the ocean current could be especially hazardous for several hours, according to the Tsunami Warning Center.
n Chile, the powerful earthquake was followed by at least three aftershocks above magnitude 6, according to the U.S. Geological Service.
Those along Chile’s Pacific shore, from Puerto Aysen to Arica, were ordered to evacuate and seek higher ground.
The National Weather Service said that for Hawaii, the initial wave of the tsunami would arrive at 3:11 a.m. local time. A major tsunami was not expected for Hawaii, but sea level changes and strong currents could pose a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as others near the shore. The threat could continue for several hours after the first wave hits, the weather service said.