Tsunami advisory in effect for US as waves hit Tonga following volcanic eruption
A tsunami has hit Tonga’s largest island, Tongatapu, and reportedly sent waves flooding into the capital after an underwater volcano in the South Pacific exploded in a violent eruption on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash and gas steam into the air.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the islands of Tonga. Tsunami advisories have also been issued for New Zealand’s North Island and the west coast of the United States from California to Alaska, as well as Canada’s British Columbia.
Satellite imagery shows a massive ash cloud and shockwaves spreading from the eruption.
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 (RNZ).
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, RNZ said.
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.
Warning for US
A tsunami advisory is now in effect for the US west coast including the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, according to the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska.
Dave Snider, Tsunami Warning Coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, told CNN, “We have seen the wave moving through Hawaiian Island.”
Current observations are that the wave is one-to-two feet high heading toward the US mainland Pacific Coast. The estimated arrival time along the California Coast is 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time.
Speaking by telephone Snider noted, “We don’t have a really good forecast because this event is based on a volcano rather than earthquake.”
Snider notes this is currently an advisory and not a tsunami warning in effect for the U.S. west coast following Tonga eruption.
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