West Coast TE Peeps....

[Blueberry]

Check in and let us know you're OK! Here's hoping the warnings don't end up being anything....

[Biciclista]

no problem here. (Washington)

[maillotpois]

3 - 5 foot waves predicted. Business as usual.

[Biciclista]

The surfers are probably going wild.

[SadieKate]

3 - 5 foot waves predicted. Business as usual.

For your reading pleasure. Remedial Tsunami Waves 101.

4. How are tsunami waves different from normal ocean waves?
Both normal ocean waves and tsunami waves can be described by their period (time between two waves), wavelength (horizontal distance between waves), amplitude (wave height), and speed. Normal ocean waves are caused by the wind, weather, tides, and currents. They have periods of 5-20 seconds, wavelengths of 100-200 meters (300-600 feet), and travel at speeds of 8-100 km per hour (5-60 miles per hour). Tsunami waves have much longer periods of 10 minutes to 2 hours, wavelengths of 100-500 km (60-300 miles), and travel at speeds of 800-1000 km per hour (500-600 miles per hour). The amplitude of normal waves and tsunami waves are similar in deep ocean water, but near shore, tsunami waves can be much larger with heights of 10 meters (32 feet) or more. Furthermore, normal ocean waves only involve motion of the uppermost layer of the water, but tsunami waves involve movement of the entire water column from surface to seafloor. This means a normal wave is like a small ripple on top of the ocean, but tsunamis are like the entire ocean getting deeper all at once.

http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/faq.php#4

[maillotpois]

Good stuff - interesting. Even so, the point is by the time it gets here, its not expected to be particularly hazardous. We'll see. It's apparently supposed to start now. People are crowded up on Grizzly Peak and Skyline drive to "watch", which is ludicrous.

[SadieKate]

Fortunately, I'm waaay inland and in high ground, but the news is reporting waves are starting to hit Southern Oregon.

Hawaii is starting to see the wave train pushing water inland.

[Eden]

Apparently not much in the way of worries on the WA coast - waves a foot and under for most places, probably won't be much noticeable, but they have evacuated some very low lying areas just in case. I've also heard a little jut out on the Oregon coast has been cleared - I'm guessing even though the waves coming in won't be high, they may swamp the area.

I'm more concerned over all the poor people in Japan.... looks like it was pretty bad over there... (I think we have one or two TErs over there)

Our NOAA radio went off last night - good thing it wasn't an emergency in our immediate area... DH managed to sleep right through the racket....

[Biciclista]

Our NOAA radio went off last night - good thing it wasn't an emergency in our immediate area... DH managed to sleep right through the racket....

what do you mean "our Noaa radio went off"

[SadieKate]

what do you mean "our Noaa radio went off"

I'm guessing you mean "what is a weather radio?"

Anyone who has lived in tornado alley knows about them. It's a dedicated radio that turns on with NOAA weather alerts.

http://us.oregonscientific.com/cat-W...FZJe7AodRzWFiQ

[KnottedYet]

Our NOAA radio went off last night - good thing it wasn't an emergency in our immediate area... DH managed to sleep right through the racket....

I used to have a NOAA radio, I need to get one again. (got a Red Cross 3-day EP kit in the trunk of my car, it's a good kit, I recommend it as well)

Feeling bad for the folks in Crescent City, CA. They're getting hit pretty hard while the media is full of armchair quarterbacks poo-pooing the warnings and advisories. Harbor destroyed, 34 boats destroyed, and the wave train is apparently building. And Santa Cruz isn't having a good day, either.

Doesn't help that the tide is coming in now, too.

Sounds like the underwater topography is what makes tsunamis so hard on Crescent City.

I wish I remembered more from my oceanography classes.

ETA: the photo of the first of the tsunami waves coming into San Francisco Bay (Emeryville) is pretty impressive. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/...id=84822&tsp=1

[Trek420]

I'm more concerned over all the poor people in Japan.... looks like it was pretty bad over there... (I think we have one or two TErs over there)

+1. The devestation looks astonishing. Anyone here know where that shut off button is on their nuke plant? A reminder to us on the "ring of fire" now that's what an 8.9 does The Loma Prietta was not "the big one"

Duck on Wheels is staying with me while a visiting scholar at Cal I think we'll sit down and formulate an emergency plan; rotate the spare water, move the deck chairs on the Titanic

[Blueberry]

In all seriousness - nuke plants don't have an off button. Once you "stop" them, you still have to make sure they cool for hours - otherwise, you can have big problems. From what I hear, they're having issues with some of the back up systems that cool the cores....scary stuff.

ETA: Of course, I'm worried about our friends in Japan too. I was bleary eyed when I posted, and knew about the tsunami warnings, but not the quake that caused them....

[crazycanuck]

Some of my former workmates (and students) in Japan have been affected by the Quake.

One dude's wife n kids (lives in Fujisawa) were @ Shinjuku station on thier way home & were stranded. They spent the night in Yokohama.

Another's family is in Sendai & are unable to contact them.

It goes on...

[Biciclista]

from the news: Tsunami waves up to 1.7 feet hit Washington coast