MONTEREY, Calif. –

The National Weather Service lifted a tsunami warning for California’s central coast around noon Thursday after an earthquake sparked initial concerns.

“So the first tsunami warning message came in at about 11 a.m., and then as we got to the end of the hour, we finally got the all-clear signal from the National Tsunami Center,” said National Weather Service Monterey meteorologist Brayden Murdock.

Not all coastal earthquakes cause tsunamis, Murdock explained, noting that it depends on the type of quake.

“It was not the type of earthquake that would cause this. It was a major earthquake, and then when they got the data about what type it was, the earthquake pushed two Earth’s surfaces next to each other instead of lifting them vertically. “The big waves cause a tsunami,” he said.

According to Murdock, the tsunami warning had to be issued quickly.

“This one was so close that we really had to push the clock to make sure we got the information, and that’s why they reported the earthquake so quickly instead of saying, ‘Hey, there’s an earthquake.’ Being careful, they decided to make it a tsunami. “They immediately warned when they saw that some water had been displaced by the earthquake,” he said.

The National Weather Service team is preparing for warnings like this.

“So we put out training every year and our new training was actually released this week so our trainer is actually coming to the night shift tonight so we’re actually going to give him some feedback on how it actually turned out,” Murdock said.

Even though it’s rare, Murdock wants the public to be better protected during a tsunami warning.

“We really don’t want to experience what we call disaster tourism, where people are trying to see where these events are going, because that is particularly dangerous, not only for yourself but also for the people who have to come to see you to save,” he said.

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