Weather
Tsunami Waves Lapped Oregon Coast, No Damage Reported
An underwater volcano erupted by Tonga in the Pacific, setting off a tsunami alert and cautions to stay away from the beach.
PORTLAND, OR — A tsunami warning on Saturday led to warnings for Oregonians to stay away from the beach. It was predicted that the waves could be as high as three feet.
While the waves fell short of that – and the tsunami warning was canceled after about 8 hours – there were still rough seas for much of the day. The highest waves were reported by Point Orford where they reached about 1.5 eet.
The National Weather Service issued the alert after an underwater volcano erupted by Tonga. There were stronger tsunami waves in Tonga and even parts of Hawaii saw flooding as a result of the volcano.
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The force of the eruption was even detected by the seismometers at Mount Hood.
People were urged to avoid the beach until the waves started to ebb.
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Despite the warnings, several towns along the coast reported large crowds in several areas, particularly surfers looking to enjoy what they hoped would be a good day.
Officials say that while the alert has been canceled, it could come back. The volcano by Tonga could erupt again.
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