California Hawaii Under Tsunami Watch After 8.1 Earthquake Rocks New Zealand

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND. (THECOUNT) — A third massive earthquake measuring magnitude 8.1 struck New Zealand at 19:28:31 UTC or 11:28 a.m. PST.

The following is the third Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Alert issued today after the first in a series of large earthquakes struck Thursday around 5:30 a.m. PST. The later quake measured 7.4 on the richter scale and hit around 9:41 a.m. PST.

NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1127 AM HST THU MAR 04 2021

TO – EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – TSUNAMI WATCH SUPPLEMENT

A TSUNAMI WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0928 AM HST 04 MAR 2021
COORDINATES – 29.6 SOUTH 176.0 WEST
LOCATION – KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE – 8.1 MOMENT

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
——————- —– —— —– ————— —–
NUKUALOFA TO 21.1S 175.2W 2108Z 0.03M / 0.1FT 14MIN

LAT – LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON – LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME – TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL – TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS …NOT… CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER – PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY
THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN
FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE
IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

0435 PM HST THU 04 MAR 2021

FURTHER MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS
WARRANT UNTIL THE THREAT TO HAWAII HAS PASSED.

…THIS IS A TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR ALASKA, BRITISH
COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA…

EVALUATION
———-
* Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis
potentially dangerous to coasts outside the source region.

* The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center is analyzing
the event to determine the level of danger.

* More information will be issued as it becomes available.

* This earthquake has the potential to generate a destructive
tsunami in the source region.

PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
———————————

* Magnitude 8.1
* Origin Time 1029 AKST Mar 04 2021
1129 PST Mar 04 2021
1929 UTC Mar 04 2021
* Coordinates 29.6 South 176.0 West
* Depth 6 miles
* Location in the Kermadec Islands region, north of New Zealand

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND NEXT UPDATE
————————————–
* Refer to the internet site tsunami.gov for more information.

* Pacific coastal regions outside California, Oregon, Washington,
British Columbia, and Alaska should refer to the Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center messages at tsunami.gov.

* Messages will be issued hourly to keep you informed of the
progress of this event.

DEVELOPING::

Quick geo facts: Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, sits near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait. A compact city, it encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbour and colourful timber houses on surrounding hills. From Lambton Quay, the iconic red Wellington Cable Car heads to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Strong winds through the Cook Strait give it the nickname “Windy Wellington,” wikipedia.