Friday, 11 March 2011

Sea Swimming on Saturday morning may not be the best idea

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) has issued a Tsunami Warning for New Zealand in response to the above earthquake. The New Zealand Tsunami Expert Panel assessment is that this is a marine threat only for New Zealand. A Marine Threat means strong and unusual currents are possible in the sea, rivers and estuaries. No land threat is expected at this time.

Historical events and pre-calculated tsunami models indicate that the largest impact (up to 1 m wave height at the coastline) is expected along the coasts of the central and northern North Island (i.e. from East Cape northwards and from Kaipara northwards). First arrivals in the upper North Island are expected to coincide with a low tide.

Only messages issued by MCDEM represent the official warning status for New Zealand. Local civil defence authorities may supplement these messages by applying local threat assessments.

Confirmation been received that a tsunami was generated. No wave heights are available at this time.

The first wave to arrive to New Zealand will be in the areas around North Cape at approximately 06.23 12 March 2011. The first wave may arrive later and may not be the largest.

Waves will continue for several hours.

People in coastal areas should:

1. Stay off beaches
2. Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities)

No comments:

Post a Comment