Tsunami — Orange County Coastal Areas, California

2010-02-27 · Orange County Coastal Areas, California

Event narrative

A bait barge at Dana Point Harbor was snapped in half by a series of tsunami surges. A 12 knot current was observed with a three inch wave in the main channel. The depth in the main channel fell to 6 feet as the water receded. The normal depth in the channel is 12 to 15 feet.

Wider weather episode

A tsunami generated by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile reached the Southern California coast shortly after noon on February 27. The tsunami caused tidal surges of four to five feet over the course of about two hours. The speed of the currents in both Orange and San Diego counties were estimated to be 8 to 12 knots. The tsunami caused minor damage to structures and vessels, mainly in harbors.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 215757. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.