Richmond Beach Saltwater Park beach closed Saturday morning due to volcano-caused tsunami threat

Screenshot from Japanese underwater volcano in the South Pacific

On Saturday, January 15, 2022 an undersea volcano in the South Pacific Tonga archipelago erupted, sending waves crashing into the islands chain, and prompting tsunami warming around the north Pacific.

The eruption was captured on video from a Japanese weather satellite and broadcast on news organizations around the world.

See news video of the eruption

Beachfront properties in Tonga were flooded. Hawaii had a wave surge of four feet. Tsunami warnings were issued for the west coast of the U.S. 

In Shoreline, Richmond Beach Saltwater Park beach access was closed until 1pm.

As it turned out, Washington state had minimal impact but the California coastal areas experienced four foot waves which caused damage to docks, boats, and beach homes.

It is somewhat unusual for volcanos to cause tsunamis.