LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A tsunami advisory was downgraded to a watch, and then completely lifted, for most of the Southern California coast after a massive earthquake near Russia.
The advisory was in place for most of the night, with much of the California coastline seeing some form of tsunami waves. It now appears most of the threat has subsided.
City News Service contributed to this report.
In January 2022, a tsunami advisory was issued for the West Coast of the U.S. from California to Alaska after an underwater volcano eruption in the South Pacific. In Ventura, the strong tsunami swells ripped through a harbor and took several boats with it.
Tsunamis are waves triggered by earthquakes, underwater volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides. After an underwater earthquake, the seafloor rises and drops, which lifts water up and down. The energy from this pushes sea water that transfers to waves.
Many people think of tsunamis as one wave. But they are typically multiple waves that rush ashore like a fast-rising tide.
Some tsunamis are small and don't cause damage. Others can cause massive destruction. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, causing waves that leveled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts along the Indian Ocean across Southeast and South Asia.
The Los Angeles Unified School District said schools in a tsunami warning zone "will begin no earlier than 9 a.m." Wednesday.
Schools in the warning zone include: Westminster Avenue Magnet, Westminster Avenue Early Education Center, Westside Global Awareness Magnet, Broadway Elementary School, Coeur d'Alene Elementary School, Marina del Rey Middle School, Marina Early Education Center, Venice Skills Center, Harbor Occupational Center, Wilmington Skills Center and Barton Hill Elementary School.
Schools will send updates prior to 9 a.m. to confirm opening or provide additional information, the district said.
The small Northern California community of Crescent City turned on its tsunami sirens to warn residents about possible waves.
"You are hearing a Tsunami Siren. We are under a Tsunami Warning. Please stay away from beaches and waterways. A predicted wave may hit at 11:55 pm. We are waiting on additional information about any level of evacuation," read a post from the City Hall Facebook account.
The city in rural Northern California has roughly 6,000 residents.
A tsunami in 1964 caused by an earthquake in Alaska caused a wave 21 feet (6.4 meters) high to hit the city, killing 11 people and destroying its downtown.
