7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska; Tsunami warning issued

(CNN) -- A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska early Saturday morning and a tsunami warning is in effect for portions of British Columbia, Canada, and southern Alaska, officials said.

There were no initial reports of damage but the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said that a "tsunami with significant widespread inundation of is land is expected."

The quake struck at about 3:58 a.m. ET off the coast of Alaska about 63 miles west of Craig, a town on Prince of Wales Island, and about 208 miles south of the capital of Juneau, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The size of the temblor was downgraded by the USGS from 7.7 to 7.5.

The tsunami warning was issued for the coastal areas of British Columbia and from the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to Cape Suckling, Alaska, about 75 miles southeast of Cordova, according to a bulletin released by the tsunami warning center.

A tsunami watch was in effect for areas of British Columbia to the Washington-British Columbia border, the bulletin said.

Based on available data, the tsunami warning center said there is "no destructive threat" to Hawaii, though it warned that some coastal areas could experience larger waves and strong currents.

-- CNN, Agencies 2013-01-05

Oh, I hope everyone is OK. I am just watching a movie about the Boxing Day Tsunami. Scary stuff.

WEAK51 PAAQ 051017

TSUAK1

BULLETIN

PUBLIC TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3

NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK

117 AM AKST SAT JAN 5 2013

THE MAGNITUDE HAS BEEN UPDATED TO 7.5 AND A SMALL TSUNAMI

HAS BEEN OBSERVED AT PORT ALEXANDER, ALASKA.

...THE TSUNAMI WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT...

WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/WATCHES - UPDATED

-------------------------------------

TSUNAMI WARNING IN EFFECT FOR...

* THE COASTAL AREAS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA FROM THE

NORTH TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH COLUMBIA TO CAPE

FAIRWEATHER ALASKA/LOCATED 80 MILES SE OF YAKUTAT/

CANCELLATIONS

-------------

* THE TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF

BRITISH COLUMBIA FROM THE WASHINGTON-BRITISH COLUMBIA

BORDER TO THE NORTH TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH

COLUMBIA

* THE TSUNAMI WARNING IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF

ALASKA FROM CAPE FAIRWEATHER ALASKA/LOCATED 80 MILES SE OF

YAKUTAT/ TO CAPE SUCKLING ALASKA/LOCATED 75 MILES SE OF

CORDOVA/

* THE TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF

ALASKA FROM CAPE SUCKLING ALASKA/LOCATED 75 MILES SE OF

CORDOVA/ TO KENNEDY ENTRANCE ALASKA/LOCATED 40 MILES SW OF

HOMER/

IMPACTS FOR TSUNAMI WARNING AREAS

---------------------------------

* A TSUNAMI WITH SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD INUNDATION OF LAND IS

EXPECTED.

http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/events/PAAQ/2013/01/05/mg5a94/3/WEAK51/WEAK51.txt

Tsunami warning in effect after large earthquake strikes off Alaska coast

By Marian Smith, NBC News

Updated at 5:50 a.m. ET:

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska near midnight on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting tsunami warnings and advisories down the coast of Alaska and Canada's British Columbia.

The quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 60 miles southwest of Port Alexander, Alaska, at a depth of about 6 miles at 11:58 p.m. local time (3:58 a.m. ET), the survey said.

Initially, the USGS reported that the temblor had a magnitude of 7.7, but it later downgraded the quake's strength to 7.5.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of British Columbia from the north tip of Vancouver Island to Cape Suckling.

The warning center also issued tsunami advisories from the Washington state-British Columbia border to the north tip of Vancouver Island. They were later canceled.

According to the warning center, a tsunami warning means "that a tsunami with significant widespread inundation is expected or is already occurring."

There was no danger of a tsunami hitting Hawaii, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

-- Agencies 2013-01-05

All tsunami warnings for 7.5 Alaska earthquake are canceled; small wave generated but does not post a threat - @NOAA http://1.usa.gov/jyngoJ

I think Alaska is well used to it, being on the Ring of Fire and all that.

I think Alaska is well used to it, being on the Ring of Fire and all that.

Have you ever been in an earthquake near 7 on the Richter scale? There is no getting used to it!

I think Alaska is well used to it, being on the Ring of Fire and all that.

Have you ever been in an earthquake near 7 on the Richter scale? There is no getting used to it!

Well I was in Phuket in '04 and that was a 9.0. But they didn't have a history of tsunamis, nor a warning system. Which, given that this quake was off the coast, was my point.

Been in a 7 in LA also spent a few years in Alaska used to Volcano eruptions tsunamis and the extreme weather conditions, lived on the west coast Seattle area for many years and had several warnings to evecuate, survived all but only thanks to the way we were warned and taken care of, also lived in view of mount St Helens when that blew. I am aware how advanced the USA is compared to Aisia, however it could be the same here if the members of the government did not consider it their right to steal 33 % of the budget, Amazing Thailand, and yes I love it here, however if we had the chicks in Seattle willing to live with me a pensioner as we do here I would be in Seattle.

Ok all you bashers have a go at me.............. waiting

Been in a 7 in LA also spent a few years in Alaska used to Volcano eruptions tsunamis and the extreme weather conditions, lived on the west coast Seattle area for many years and had several warnings to evecuate, survived all but only thanks to the way we were warned and taken care of, also lived in view of mount St Helens when that blew. I am aware how advanced the USA is compared to Aisia, however it could be the same here if the members of the government did not consider it their right to steal 33 % of the budget, Amazing Thailand, and yes I love it here, however if we had the chicks in Seattle willing to live with me a pensioner as we do here I would be in Seattle.

Ok all you bashers have a go at me.............. waiting

Great reasoning to me. Chicks that is. I do like Seatle a lot though. Really cool city.