Here we go… Yet Again

It is not a hurricane watch, but rather a tsunami watch that is currently in effect for the island. This afternoon’s 8.3 magnitude earthquake in Chile may have generated a tsunami that may arrive around 3am tomorrow morning. The early data from stations along the Chilean coast report a tsunami has indeed occurred of between ½m and 3m in height. Oh the fun of living in paradise…

Update: Tsunami watch downgraded to an advisory, minor effects expected.

000 WEHW40 PHEB 170025 TSUHWX HIZ001>003-005>009-012>014-016>021-023>026-170225- /O.CON.PHEB.TS.A.0002.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/ BULLETIN TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3 NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI 224 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015 TO - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH SUPPLEMENT A TSUNAMI WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII. AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS ORIGIN TIME - 1254 PM HST 16 SEP 2015 COORDINATES - 31.5 SOUTH 72.0 WEST LOCATION - NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE MAGNITUDE - 8.3 MOMENT MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER ------------------- ----- ------ ----- --------------- ----- VALPARAISO CL 33.0S 71.6W 2350Z 1.62M / 5.3FT 40MIN CHANARAL CL 26.4S 70.6W 0010Z 0.67M / 2.2FT 34MIN JUAN FERNANDEZ 33.6S 78.8W 0008Z 0.97M / 3.2FT 08MIN COQUIMBO CL 30.0S 71.3W 2339Z 3.11M / 10.2FT 20MIN BUCALEMU CL 34.6S 72.0W 2334Z 0.46M / 1.5FT 24MIN CALDERA CL 27.1S 70.8W 2343Z 0.50M / 1.6FT 30MIN SAN ANTONIO CL 33.6S 71.6W 2358Z 0.86M / 2.8FT 18MIN DART 32402 26.7S 74.0W 2326Z 0.12M / 0.4FT 36MIN LAT - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH) LON - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST) TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME) AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL. IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT. VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT). PER - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT. NOTE - DART MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE DEEP OCEAN AND THEY ARE GENERALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN WOULD BE COASTAL MEASUREMENTS AT SIMILAR LOCATIONS. EVALUATION BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS 0311 AM HST THU 17 SEP 2015 FURTHER MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT UNTIL THE THREAT TO HAWAII HAS PASSED.

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000 WEHW40 PHEB 170025 TSUHWX HIZ001>003-005>009-012>014-016>021-023>026-170225- /O.CON.PHEB.TS.A.0002.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/   BULLETIN TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER   3 NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI 224 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015   TO - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII   SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH SUPPLEMENT   A TSUNAMI WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.   AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS      ORIGIN TIME - 1254 PM HST 16 SEP 2015    COORDINATES - 31.5 SOUTH   72.0 WEST    LOCATION    - NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE    MAGNITUDE   - 8.3  MOMENT   MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY   GAUGE LOCATION        LAT   LON    TIME        AMPL         PER -------------------  ----- ------  -----  ---------------  ----- VALPARAISO CL        33.0S  71.6W  2350Z   1.62M /  5.3FT  40MIN CHANARAL CL          26.4S  70.6W  0010Z   0.67M /  2.2FT  34MIN JUAN FERNANDEZ       33.6S  78.8W  0008Z   0.97M /  3.2FT  08MIN COQUIMBO CL          30.0S  71.3W  2339Z   3.11M / 10.2FT  20MIN BUCALEMU CL          34.6S  72.0W  2334Z   0.46M /  1.5FT  24MIN CALDERA CL           27.1S  70.8W  2343Z   0.50M /  1.6FT  30MIN SAN ANTONIO CL       33.6S  71.6W  2358Z   0.86M /  2.8FT  18MIN DART 32402           26.7S  74.0W  2326Z   0.12M /  0.4FT  36MIN   LAT  - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH) LON  - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST) TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME) AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.         IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.         VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT). PER  - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.   NOTE - DART MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE DEEP OCEAN AND THEY         ARE GENERALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN WOULD BE COASTAL          MEASUREMENTS AT SIMILAR LOCATIONS.   EVALUATION   BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.   IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS                        0311 AM HST THU 17 SEP 2015   FURTHER MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT UNTIL THE THREAT TO HAWAII HAS PASSED.

Author: Andrew

An electrical engineer, amateur astronomer, and diver, living and working on the island of Hawaiʻi. View all posts by Andrew