California, 2022

Tsunami in California, January 15, 2022

January 15, 2022 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An underwater volcano near Tonga erupted on January 15, 2022 which produced a tsunami to travel across the Pacific Ocean. An information statement was issued at 3:25 AM PST, and the first advisory and statement was issued at 4:56 AM PST.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.

An underwater volcano near Tonga erupted on January 15, 2022 which produced a tsunami to travel across the Pacific Ocean. An information statement was issued at 3:25 AM PST, and the first advisory and statement was issued at 4:56 AM PST. A Tsunami advisory was issued for the San Diego County and Orange County Coast at 5:03 AM, mentioning the threat for a tsunami capable of producing strong currents and waves of 1 to 2 feet, but widespread inundation was not expected. The tsunami was expected to arrive several moments before 8 AM PST. Strong currents, rising tides, tsunami waves and minor damage was reported across the coast through the day.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 1:35 PM PST, 15 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 1:35 PM PST, 15 hours 25 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tsunami. Local standard time, as filed.

Tsunami, San Diego County Coastal Areas

When
January 15, 5:00 AM PST to 1:30 PM PST
Where
San Diego County Coastal Areas forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A Tsunami Advisory was issued at 5:03 AM for the San Diego County Coast. Water rise of 0.6 foot was reported at La Jolla and 1.7 foot rise at San Diego Bay. Strong currents and swashing was observed at the San Diego Bay. The first wave arrived around 8 AM. Minor damage was reported across the coast, including damaged ballast pipes and damage to floating docks. San Diego OES did Wireless Emergency Alerts several times through the morning.

Tsunami, Orange County Coastal

When
January 15, 5:00 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where
Orange County Coastal forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A Tsunami Advisory was issued at 5:03 AM for the Orange County Coast. Orange County did Wireless Emergency Alerts and activated sirens. The first tsunami wave arrived around 8 AM. Damage was reported across the coast, including a buoy reported to be broken off and drifting away off of Huntington Bay.

What these are

Tsunami
A series of waves caused by an undersea earthquake, landslide or eruption.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2022

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1002623, 1002627.