A tsunami warning and evacuation order are currently in place for Japanese residents after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Fukushima, Japan, earlier today. The tsunami is not expected to be as destructive as the one that occurred in March 2011 in the same area, killing 15,000 people and sparking a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear power plant.
As the National Weather Services notes, there is currently no tsunami expected along the West Coast, including California. However, residents should be on the alert as tsunamis usually take many hours to travel.
Tsunami Info Stmt: M7.3 near the east coast of Honshu, J 1300PST Nov 21: Tsunami NOT expected; CA,OR,WA,BC,and AK
— NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) November 21, 2016
#NTWC
In the video below, you can see what to expect if a tsunami should hit Ocean Beach, which happened after the last major earthquake that hit Fukushima. Luckily, the surge was relatively small. Other areas in California—such as Crescent City and Santa Cruz—saw significantly greater surges.
