A tsunami warning has been issued for a swath of the West Coast after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California.
The epicenter of the warning is near the coastal city off Eureka, where the temblor shook Thursday morning.
Officials have advised tsunami waves could begin hitting the coast around 12:10 p.m. local time.
The warning stretches as far north as Florence, Oregon, and as far south as Davenport, California — about 620 miles.
The entire San Francisco Bay Area remains under the warning.
Tsunami warnings are the highest threat levels issued by the National Weather Service, and advise affected areas that “widespread flooding is expected or occurring.”
“Evacuation is recommended. Move to high ground or inland,” the weather service’s advisory system reads.
Warning sirens have been heard ringing across Humboldt County, in the heart of the danger zone, advising residents to move away from the coastline, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Transbay Tube, connecting railways from San Francisco to Oakland has been closed down, while schools across the warning zone are allowed students to be picked up by their parents.
Aftershocks have continued to rock the area since the first quake struck.
Gov. Gavin Newsom advised residents to take the Tsunami warnings seriously.
Earthquakes that register 7.0 and up on the Richter scale are considered especially dangerous.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which killed about 3,000 people, registered a 7.9 magnitude.