What to know about Northern California's rare tsunami warning
CTV
Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state.
Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state.
The National Weather Service cancelled its alert after roughly an hour and before the tsunami was expected to arrive. In that hour, some cities and counties ordered evacuations while others relied on social media and text messages to inform people of the warning. Some people headed for higher ground, while others drove to the beach to get a better view.
People took to social media to figure out why a warning was issued and then cancelled so quickly, and how the NWS determines when to send alerts. Here are answers to more questions.
The word for tsunami comes from the Japanese characters for harbor and wave. It's a series of extremely long waves set in motion when energy from an earthquake causes the ocean floor to suddenly rise or fall, according to the National Weather Service.
Since 1800, California's shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis, most of them minor, according to the California Geological Survey.
Phones buzzed Thursday when the National Weather Service issued its warning just minutes after the quake struck west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County.
It read in part: “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now.”
