UPDATE: Tsunami Warning Issued For California Coast; No Impact Anticipated for Bayside Communities

Update 11:57 am: Two boats capsized in Santa Cruz Harbor and a sailboat crashed into a nearby bridge as tsunami waves hit the region this morning, a police
spokesman said.

The tsunami was sparked by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan on Thursday night.

An advisory evacuation order went into effect at about 6 a.m. for beachfront homes near the harbor and remained in effect as of 11 a.m., Santa Cruz police Deputy Chief Steve Clark said.

Surges of water caused several boats to come loose at the harbor and crash into each other, spectators said. Clark said two boats have capsized, and a sailboat crashed into the harbor bridge.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office estimates that the surges have caused about $2 million in damage in the area. Clark said surges are still coming in every 15 to 20 minutes, and "we're concerned about the next high tide," which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

No injuries have been reported, he said. Authorities are continuing to monitor the harbor and beach area, Clark said.

Update 10:01 am: Several boats in Santa Cruz Harbor have gotten loose and are
crashing around in the waves during this morning's tsunami warning, the general manager of a nearby restaurant said.

About 10 boats were crashing into one another at about 9:20 a.m. in the harbor near Aldo's Harbor Restaurant, said general manager Alfredo Servin.The diner is right on the water at 616 Atlantic Ave, and Alfredo said he could see also see a lot of debris. Harbor officials have advised the public to evacuate the area.

"Do not come to the harbor to secure your vessel," said a warning on the harbor's website. "Harbor crews are working to secure the area."

Alfredo said he could see quite a few people out in the harbor, but it wasn't clear if they were all emergency officials.

He said his restaurant was not open for business.

"We don't want to put people in danger," he said. "We have highway and city police advising us what to do."

Update 9:33 am: Water levels have risen slightly in Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point
Harbor this morning, but no damage has been reported there or anywhere else
in the Bay Area as the region waits for possible tsunami waves to come ashore.

Surges of water as high as 2 or 3 feet were expected to arrive at the region's coastal areas around 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Water levels had risen about 8 inches in Pillar Point Harbor, but no significant waves had come in as of 8:15 a.m., assistant harbormaster John Draper said.

Update 9:14 am: San Mateo County officials have issued a statement that no tsunami impact is anticipated for Bayside communities.

Update 9 am: Flights between Japan and San Francisco International Airport were canceled or rerouted this morning.

United Airlines Flight 837 and All Nippon Airways Flight NH7 were en route to Tokyo-Narita International Airport from San Francisco when the earthquake struck and were rerouted to Yokota Air Force Base and Nagoya Airport, respectively, airport spokesman Michael McCarron said in a statement.

All Nippon Airways has also canceled the rest of their scheduled
flights to and from Japan for today. United Airlines canceled a flight from Japan this morning but had not yet canceled Flight 837, which is scheduled to leave San Francisco for Tokyo at 9 a.m. Delta Airlines Flight 58 was expected to arrive at SFO at 7:09  a.m. while Flight 59 to SFO was canceled, McCarron said.

Update 1:03 am: The tsunami watch has now been upgraded to a warning: http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/

The National Weather Service defines a tsunami warning as a "tsunami with significant widespread inundation is imminent or expected. Warnings indicate that widespread dangerous coastal flooding accompanied by powerful currents is possible and may continue to several hours after the initial wave arrival." 

A tsunami watch is in effect for coastal areas of California after a reported 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan Thursday night, a National Weather Service official said.

The watch, issued shortly after midnight, is in effect through the morning, forecaster Steve Anderson said.

A tsunami watch is an alert issued for areas outside the zones where tsunami warnings have been issued.

The alert is based on the magnitude of the earthquake. For earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.5 or above, a watch is put into effect for areas within three hours tsunami-travel time outside the zone where warnings have been issued, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A watch is either upgraded to a warning or canceled depending on the severity of the tsunami.

Sea levels are expected to rise off the coast of California by less than a foot by 7:30 a.m. in response to the earthquake, Anderson said.

He advised coastal California residents to stay away from the ocean this morning.

-- Bay City News