Just read on one of the many posted links that New Zealand is now under a tsunami warning (as well as several other islands) and I’m wondering if it’s like the watches/warnings we get in Florida for hurricanes etc. A watch means- be on the lookout- you’re in the cone of possibility- a warning means- it’s coming for you. Do you know if it’s the same for tsunamis?
It means that the quake was big enough to generate a significant Tsunami. It doesn’t mean that it did. Only that it could. So they err on the side of caution. It was only 20 miles down, which is both shallow and fairly deep at the same time.
Yes, a watch means heads up. Warning - Head for the hills! Thank goodness I live up high. Hawaii is actually overdue for a tsunami. We haven’t had one since I was a kid.