Updated: Strong quake off California prompts tsunami warnings on West Coast
A powerful earthquake offshore from Eureka, California on Thursday morning prompted tsunami warnings on the west coast. The alerts were canceled at 11:54 a.m.
The 7.0-magnitude quake struck about 45 miles southwest of Eureka at 10:44 a.m. Initially measured at 7.3, the magnitude was later downgraded to 7.0 by the U.S. Geological Service.
A tsunami warning was in effect from Santa Cruz (Monterey Bay), California to just south of Florence, Oregon.
According to community reporting, the temblor was felt from Santa Cruz to Eugene, Oregon and as far east as Reno, Nevada.
The first alert was sent by NOAA at 10:49 a.m. Advisories were later sent to Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa stating that, based on available information, those islands were not expected to be impacted.
NOAA canceled the alert just before noon for coastal areas of California and Oregon. It said no destructive tsunami observations had been made but it urged caution.
“Do not re-occupy hazard zones until local emergency officials indicate it is safe to do so,” NOAA said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 11:19 AM.
