Tsunami — Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

2010-02-27 · Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

Event narrative

Tsunami waves of around 3 feet were reported by tide gauges across the Santa Barbara Channel. At Santa Barbara Pier, significant beach erosion was reported along with displacement of buoys. The tsunami surge lasted in excess of 20 hours.

Wider weather episode

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurred along the central coast of Chile and produced a tsunami. For the coast of Southern California, it was one of the largest tsunami episodes since 1964. In general, tsunami waves between 2 and 4 feet were reported. The most significant damage occurred along the coasts of Ventura and southern Santa Barbara counties. Numerous reports of dock damage were reported along with beach erosion.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 211367. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.