Chile earthquake: No tsunami warning for California or West Coast
No tsunami threat to California or the U.S. West Coast was immediately seen after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit off the west coast of Chile, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said.
No tsunami warning would probably be issued for California “unless we see something we don’t expect,” Paul Whitmore, director of the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center, told the Los Angeles Times.
Related: Tsunami evacuations ordered after Chile earthquake
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake has already generated 6-foot-high tsunami waves in Chile, Whitmore said.
“Yes, that could do a lot of damage” in Chile, Whitmore said. “Once a tsunami gets going, a large-sized one, it will continue for hours, if not days.”
“The danger will only decrease after the first six hours,” Whitmore said “They’re long-lasting events.”
ron.lin@latimes.com
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
