The ongoing eruption of the undersea Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano north of Tonga in the Southwestern Pacific ocean has prompted authorities to close beaches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, Fox 11 Los Angeles reports. The height of wave activity from the initial eruption was expected to pass at 7:45 AM Pacific on Saturday, per the National Weather Surface, however dangerous and unpredictable current activity could still persist after the first hit.
Unlike a megathrust earthquake such as the 2011 Tohoku quake in Japan, or the 2004 quake off of Banda Aceh in Indonesia – both of which caused apocalyptic tsunamis that killed tens and hundreds of thousands of people respectively – the Hunga Tonga eruption is not a one-and-done situation. That fucker is still raging and will stop on its own time. West Coast residents living near the shore should keep an eye on the situation, as even if the first wave to hit was relatively mild that doesn’t mean the next one will be. They’ll have plenty of head start, might as well use it.