An earthquake that happened south of the Alaska Peninsula Wednesday night created water level surges along the West Coast today.
After evaluating the potential for an earthquake-driven tsunami to hit the U.S. West Coast, the National Weather Service gave the all-clear Thursday morning, saying that they did not expect a significant tsunami.
The quake did create measurable surges. A gauge in Port San Luis recorded a 1.3 ft. tsunami surge, The National Weather Service announced in a tweet.
Last night's Alaska EQ has created some water level surges along the U.S. West Coast today, including right here along our central coast. Here is the water level data from a NOAA gauge in Port San Luis. A 1.3 ft tsunami surge recorded just this morning! #tsunami #CAwx @NWS_NTWC pic.twitter.com/XHhBJ9BMm1
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) July 29, 2021
The 8.2 "Chignik Earthquake" earthquake was reported at about 10:15 p.m. on July 28. The earthquake is the largest to hit the U.S. in a half-century, the Alaska Earthquake Center says on its website. It did not cause major damage, in part thanks to the sparse population in the area of impact.
In the twelve hours following the earthquake, the Alaska Earthquake Center recorded about 140 aftershocks.
Early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said that though there was no threat of a tsunami along the California coastline, strong and unusual currents would continue through the day. They advised against swimming in local harbors.
The California Geological Survey released new maps with updated tsunami hazard maps this year.
