Tsunami waves reached the San Francisco coast early Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, as California coastal communities continue to monitor rising wave activity following a massive offshore earthquake off Russia.
The initial tsunami activity in San Francisco was detected at 1:12 a.m., the NWS said on social media posts.
The Northern California tsunami activity began in Crescent City and Humboldt Bay around 12:45 a.m. Tsunami waves then reached Monterey at 12:50 a.m.
Forecasters warn that waves will likely build through the night and become more dangerous near high tide.
The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a Tsunami Advisory on Tuesday evening after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The advisory covers coastal areas from Mendocino County to Monterey County.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has deployed rescue teams to Del Norte and San Luis Obispo counties. State officials continue to urge the public to stay off beaches and coastal areas until the advisory is lifted.
Ferries running despite tsunami alert
The San Francisco Bay Ferry system will be operating normal service on Wednesday despite the advisory issued for the California coast.
Around 6:15 a.m., officials with the ferry system said on social media that there were no service impacts or reported damage. Commuters can expect its standard operations to be running across all ferry routes serving the Bay Area.
No major damage has been reported in California as of 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Note: This story has been updated to include information about ferry service and damage reports as of Wednesday morning.