The National Weather Service has canceled a tsunami warning that covered a stretch of Northern California coastal cities, including much of the San Francisco Bay Area, following a major earthquake that struck off the coast on Thursday morning.
The NWS canceled the warning at 11:57 a.m. with a message saying “no further tsunami danger exists, however some areas may continue to experience small sea level changes.” The earthquake struck 45 miles southwest of Eureka, California, around 10:44 a.m. with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, according to the weather service.
Strong to very strong shaking was felt in the Humbolt area closest to the earthquake with weak or light shaking reported further south in the Bay Area, according to the United States Geological Survey, which reported that the earthquake measured at a 7.0 magnitude.
The warning included coastal areas from Davenport, California, to Douglas/Lane Line, Oregon, according to the weather service. Officials originally instructed people located along the coastal area to move inland to higher ground. Much of Vallejo was outside the warning area.
“Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,” the National Weather Service reported. “Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest.”
The weather service initially predicted that a tsunami may start at 11:20 a.m. in Crescent City, 11:25 a.m. in Brookings, Oregon, and 12:10 p.m. in San Francisco.
BART was reporting a “major delay system wide in all directions,” according to an announcement from the agency shortly after 11 a.m. “There is currently no Transbay Tube service to or from San Fransisco due to a report of an earthquake.” The agency noted around noon that it was working to restore service.
The Berkeley Police Department lifted an evacuation order at 12:05 p.m. following the NWS announcement. Berkeley had instructed residents in West Berkeley to evacuate immediately, bringing only essential items, medications, and pets.
This article has been updated to reflect that the National Weather Service lifted its tsunami warning.
