Breaking: Tsunami Advisory for Dana Point Following 8.3 Magnitude Earthquake

Tsunami advisories were issued tonight for parts of the Southern and Central California coast after a massive earthquake struck Chile.

The National Weather Service issued advisories covering the coast from San Onofre State Beach to Point Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County. All beaches and piers along the impacted coastline will be closed for a few hours Thursday morning as a precaution.

“If you are located in this coastal area, move off the beaches and out of harbors and marinas,” according to an NWS statement.

The tsunami is not expected to be big enough to prompt evacuations. Much like the tsunami that struck the coast following the Japanese quake in 2011, the local impact is expected to be about a foot in height, striking the Orange County coastline at 4:45 a.m. and traveling north to Los Angeles County a moment later, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

The advisory warned of expected strong currents that could prove “hazardous to swimmers, boats and coastal structures.”

The Orange County Emergency Operations Center Public Information Hotline is open for calls about the tsunami advisory, which includes the Orange County coast. The number is (714) 628-7085.

The earthquake that spurred the warning struck off the coast of central Chile at 3:55 p.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 8.3.

At Los Angeles Harbor, a low tide of 1.8 feet will be reached at 5:28 a.m. Thursday and a high tide of 5 feet will be reached at 11:48 a.m. Thursday, according to the NWS.

Police in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Seal Beach and Newport Beach warned people to refrain from activities along the coast, including marinas and piers.

Going to the coast to observe the tsunami is also a bad idea, police said.

Experts initially did not expect the quake to have an impact to the California coastline, but authorities revised their forecast to issue the tsunami advisory as of 7:38 p.m.

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City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Image: National Tsunami Warning Center