SAN FRANCISCO – The Bay Area and Central Coast are under a tsunami advisory following a magnitude 8.7 earthquake in Russia’s Far East, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory extends from the Sonoma coastline to the Big Sur coastline and includes San Francisco and Monterey Bay, the weather service said in a statement Tuesday.
Estimated arrival times Wednesday include 12:15 a.m. in Monterey and 12:40 a.m. in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Peak wave heights of less than a foot are expected.
The weather service urged people in the advisory area to move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas.
“Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami,” the weather service said.
Tsunamis often arrive as a series of waves or surges, which could be dangerous for many hours after the first wave arrival, according to the weather service. The first wave or surge may not be the highest in the series.
The earthquake happened around 4:25 p.m. PDT off the coast of Kamchatka. Damage and evacuations were reported in Russian regions nearest the epicenter, according to The Associated Press.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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