Tsunami warning issued, then retracted, for the West Coast following large earthquake

The warning was issued and retracted following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake off the coast of Northern California

By Charles R. Davis

Deputy News Editor
Published December 5, 2024 2:23PM (EST)
Updated December 5, 2024 3:12PM (EST)
Seismograph with paper in action and earthquake (Getty Images/Petrovich9)
Seismograph with paper in action and earthquake (Getty Images/Petrovich9)

This story has been updated with the latest weather forecast.

The National Weather Service has retracted a tsunami warning that it had issued following a large earthquake off the coast of Northern California, saying that the West Coast is no longer in danger.

The original alert, issued at 1:49 p.m. Eastern Time, covered coastal areas from Davenport, California, near Santa Cruz, to just south of Florence, Oregon. A warning means "that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already according," according to NWS, which had urged those in affected areas to "move inland to higher ground."

The warning came after a 7.0 magnitude was detected in the Pacific Ocean near Eureka, California. It was retracted within the hour, NWS's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stating: "There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake.


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