Tsunami hits Japan; expected to come to US west coast this morning….

Update 5:04am PST: Dave Halloran issued this press release early this morning:

Keep your eyes on (and your feet out of) the water Friday morning. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a Tsunami Advisory was issued in the early morning hours for the coast of Washington including the inland waters.

The Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatch and Emergency Management monitored the latest reports through out the night and after consultation with NOAA forecasters at the Weather Service in Seattle and the State Emergency Operations Center determined there would be little threat to the San Juans.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has forecast waves of 8 inches to 10 inches between Port Angeles and Bellingham as a result of a possible Tsunami. Arrival time should be 7:45-8:00 AM – be on the safe side and stay clear of the beaches this morning! Check the latest here and get Tsunami tips here or by phone  370-7612 or 370-0587 on Orcas.

Update: 4:20am PST: Dave Halloran from the Department of Emergency Management for the County says a tsunami advisory is in effect for here, which basically means keep your eyes open…he says the meteorological folks say we could see waves of maybe 6-10 inches, but there is no present cause for alarm or evacuation. He says that sort of rise would be comparable to a winter storm, like we’re used to…if it even makes it this far.

Let’s stay in touch.

Posted: 3:45am PST: The terrible earthquake (and strong aftershocks) that hit northern Japan last night caused a devastating tsunami that struck Japan hard.

The last report I read (at about 3:45am PST) says Hawaii is evacuating low-lying areas as a precaution, and that the earliest the tsunami may reach the US West Coast would be around 8am.

I’m posting this here as a “just in case” – check the national news for more info. I’ll update things here if I hear more….probably not much will happen here in our relatively protected harbor, but let’s pay attention. Let’s stay in touch.

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