TSUNAMI: NWS Downgrades Warning to Advisory, But Anticipates Large Surges With High Tide

The National Weather Service has downgraded a tsunami warning it issued early Friday morning to a tsunami advisory for the entire West Coast at 3 p.m.

Chris Stumpf, spokesman for the National Weather Service, said that although most of the  came this morning before 10 a.m., there may be some sparse but large surges comparable to those this morning when high tide happens at about 5:20 p.m.

Hundreds of residents evacuated ,  and  early this morning, jamming the roadside along Highway 35 in anticipation of a potentially dangerous tsunami’s predicted 8:08 a.m. landfall.

Ultimately, water levels rose slightly along the coast, but nothing capable of much damage hit the coastal communities of San Mateo County.

The did not issue an advisory to residents regarding safety along the San Francisco Bay Shoreline though they asked people to take precautions. MVFD Spokeswoman Jaime Garrett, who suggested to resident that they signed up with Santa Clara County's Alert system called SCC Alert.

Surges of water as high as two or three feet had been expected to arrive at the region's coastal areas. The largest waves occured at Point Reyes and were about 4 feet tell, Stumpf said.

San Mateo County officials had advised residents in the low-lying areas west of Highway 1 to move to ground east of the highway, according to the county's emergency alert system.

The powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck late Thursday night on the northeast coast of Japan – about 2:46 p.m. at epicenter. Hundreds are believed dead and the quake and subsequent tsunami have caused widespread destruction.

A tsunami wave that travels at high speeds takes several hours to cross the Pacific Ocean and experts predicted that it would have arrived in the Bay Area a little after 8 a.m. The tsunami watch was upgraded to a warning overnight.

Emergency officials several hours to alert coastal communities and a tsunami warning was issued for the California coast, several  and officials ordered the full evacuation of low-lying coastal areas.

In Santa Cruz Harbor, the marina has suffered the brunt of the tsunami surge. Dozens of boats got loose, including 10 boats that crashed into one another at 9:20 a.m. near Aldo's Harbor Restaurant, said general manager Alfredo Servin. The diner is situated right on the water at 616 Atlantic Ave., and Servin said he could see a lot of debris in the water. Harbor officials have advised the public to evacuate the area there too.

"Do not come to the harbor to secure your vessel," read a warning on the harbor's website. "Harbor crews are working to secure the area."

Servin said he could see quite a few people out in the harbor, but it wasn't clear if they were emergency officials. He also said his restaurant was not open for business.

"We don't want to put people in danger," he said. "We have highway and city police advising us what to do."

The waves were reportedly much more violent in Crescent City Harbor, located farther to the north in Mendocino County. There, a city councilman told the Times-Standard that “The harbor has been destroyed. Thirty-five boats have been crushed and the harbor has major damage. Major damage.” It is reported that Gov. Jerry Brown will be asked to declare disaster areas in Humboldt, Santa Cruz and Del Norte counties.

Closer to home, the biggest disruption was probably due to the evacuation. Hundreds of vehicles reportedly have parked on Highway 31, also known as as Skyline Boulevard, in an attempt to avoid – and possibly get sight of – tsunami waves.

Hundreds more have , according to the CHP, and those drivers are being asked to move to nearby Cañada Road and elsewhere.

Another report claimed that similar crowds were stopped on the San Mateo Bridge, but a CHP officer told Patch this morning that there were "no unusual incidents" on the bridge this morning.

Highway 1 remains closed, however, between Capistrano and Coronado roads for the duration of the tsunami warning. Sheriff's deputies in the Redwood City region are helping to manage the coastal evacuation, according to the CHP.

All flights between SFO and Japan have been canceled until further notice, according to airport officials.

Copyright 2011 Patch Media Corporation