LOS ANGELES—
Federal experts have now issued a tsunami advisory for possible dangerous currents in coastal areas of California and Oregon following a magnitude-8 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says an advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is imminent or expected.
The initial wave arrivals will begin about 9 p.m. Tuesday and build toward the most hazardous period early Wednesday morning.
Warning center official Guy Urban says a tsunami of 12 inches to 26 inches has been measured since the earthquake. Urban says it would be dangerous to people swimming or on beaches near the water.
