Tsunami warning issued for California, Oregon after earthquake; No threat to B.C.

The U.S. National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas of California and Oregon after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake Thursday morning.

The quake happened just before 10:45 a.m., with an epicentre about 70 km southwest of Eureka, Calif. It was reportedly felt as far south as San Francisco, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by smaller aftershocks.

The warning stretches north to Florence, Ore., which is south of Portland.

It’s not clear whether there has been any damage yet.

Emergency Info BC says it has determined there is no tsunami threat to B.C.

The NWS urged residents along the Northern California coastline, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, to move inland due to the threat of a possible tsunami. A wave could reach the San Francisco coastline as early as 12:10 p.m., according to Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office that covers the Bay Area.

Kennedy said forecasters are waiting to get a report on how high potential waves could be. She called it “a pretty dangerous situation.”

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, has stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland.

The San Francisco Zoo’s visitors have been evacuated as a result of the earthquake, the zoo said in a post on the social media platform X. The animals have been secured and staff has been moved to higher ground.

Throughout Northern California phones buzzed with a tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.”

At least 5.3 million people in California were under a tsunami warning after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a yellow alert, which predicts localized but minimal damage.

More than 1.3 million people lived close enough to the quake that they could have felt it, the USGS estimated.

This is a developing story. More to come.