Volcano near Tonga erupts prompts tsunami warning from Alaska to Southern California

The Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupts on January 15 around 5 pm local time in Tonga, prompting a tsunami warning for the entire U.S. West Coast and Pacific Islands. Tsunami waves have been pushing boats onto docks in Hawaii and, as expected, are arriving on the West Coast on Saturday morning.

A submarine volcano located near Tonga in the Southern Pacific region called Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday afternoon local time in Tonga. This last impressive explosion comes after a series of strong eruptions happening since December 2021. The volcano is located about 18.6 miles southeast of Tonga's Fonuafo'ou island.

There was a large explosion that began on January 14, which sent ash about 12 miles up in the air, prompting tsunami warnings for the Tonga residents.

The eruption of January 15 produced a mushroom-like explosion that launched ash about 11 miles up in the air, this time there are also advisories for airlines. There was a magnitude 4.0 earthquake registered in Tonga shortly after the eruption.

Tsunami waves of between 3 and 4 feet stroke, Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, as the ash clouds were also seen obscuring the sun. Pacific islands like Fiji, and American Samoa, have also registered small tsunami waves. The Vanuatu Islands recorded larger tsunami waves between 3 and 8 feet.

In Hawaii, tsunami waves have pushed boats out of the water and onto docks.

There have already been some small waves affecting parts of California as they were expected to arrive by 7 am on Saturday morning. Authorities expect the waves to peak between 1 to 2 feet. People are advised to avoid the beaches and any coastal areas or activities on Saturday.

This is a developing story, and we will continue to bring your prompt updates throughout the day.