A tsunami has struck the West Coast of the United States after a massive undersea volcanic eruption triggered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake near Tonga.
'A tsunami is occurring. Remember - the first wave may not be the largest. Move away from the shore and head to high ground,' the National Weather Service said in a flash bulletin on Saturday.
'If you are located in this coastal area, move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas. Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. Be alert to instructions from your local emergency officials,'
Waves of up to 4.1 feet were recorded in Port San Luis, and tsunami-effect waves were recorded along the coast in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
Despite the dire warnings, spectators flocked to the beaches to view the surging tsunami waves, and surfers threw caution to the wind to catch the powerful waves generated by the surge.
The initial tsunami wave hit Los Angeles around 7.45am PST and San Francisco at 8.10am PST, and was expected to last for several hours.
In Santa Cruz, video showed significant flooding near the harbor, with at least one vehicle caught in the surge.
In Berkeley, California, police issued a mandatory evacuation order for anyone living aboard boats in the Berkeley Marina.
'Tsunamis often arrive as a series of waves or surges which could be dangerous for many hours after the first wave arrival. The first tsunami wave or surge may not be the highest in the series,' the NWS warned.
Early on Saturday, Hawaii was already seeing tsunami wave activity of up to 2.7 feet, and there were reports of waves lifting boats out of the water onto docks, but no reports of inundation.
The mainland tsunami advisory extended from California's border with Mexico to Attu Island at the tip of Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
In Tonga, the eruption sent large tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.
The 'violent' underwater volcanic eruption in the Pacific at 5.10pm local time - which was visible from space - was confirmed as the cause of the tsunami, which overwhelmed homes, buildings, fences, roads and cars in Tonga around 20 minutes later.
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