san francisco are busy preparing for the pope the shl potential tsunami. we'll tell you what you can do to keep safe coming up in a live report. and good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. it is now straight up 6:00. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we want to get things moving. we are talking about the 8.9 quake that happened in japan. there's also a tsunami warning created for hawaii and the coast of california. we are watching the situation here. we'll start you off with the forecast here. christina is watching that, and that does include looking at the tsunami and the tidal expectations and things for the day. >> that's exactly right. we are an hour and a half away from the tsunami impacting crescent city. so 7:23 is the forecasted time for crescent city.

8:08 here in the bay area. it will make its way to santa barbara by 8:30. we are expecting a 1 1/2-foot wave in point reyes. but as high as 2.3 feet in pacifica. we have to wait and watch to see this play out. my biggest concern is beach erosion and coastal flooding. people, we do not want you to panic right now. the situation seems to be getting better as it corresponds, the timing of the tsunami will be just in time with low tide. we are expecting a 1 1/2-foot wave in the san francisco area. nonetheless, i know a lot of people are probably trying to get out of their area right now, especially if you live in the low-lying areas because there's a concern out there. how is that impacting your drive on your way to work this morning? we are looking at a live chopper shot here of these folks just trying to get somewhere besides the half-moon bay. this is highway 35 at 92. this is all the traffic coming over the hill from half-moon bay where as you know highway 1 is a main connector from half-moon

bay up to san francisco through pacifica. usually we don't see problems like this, not even when devil slide is closed. look at all the traffic and congestion. no reason to panic as you have time before the wave even approaches. they are talking about a foot and a half at low tide. maybe 2 1/2 feet. this shouldn't be a major problem, but traffic is flowing out of the area. that's the big deal. this is highway 92 coming off highway 1. this is just as you approach 280 for folks heading out of the area. a lot of folks pulled over to the side of the roadway as well. highway 1 on the maps, this is officially closed. that's further north near point lobos. the great highway, not highway 1, through this area is closed along the coast because of high waves. they just don't want any spectato or risk of that. we are followingsk the b.a.r.t. situation as the tunnel goes under the water. no interruptionsngched sedul between the 5:00 and 9:00 hour as the wave comes through. we'll continue to monitor that. right now to service interruptions for b.a.r.t. including the transit bay tunnel. that's great. we'll continue to update you on

what's happening here. in the meantime, this is the latest information on the earthquake and tsunami in japan. japanese police say they have found between 200 and 300 bodies in the northeastern coastal region of that country. that is the area where a massive tsunami wave swept away villages and roadways. tsunami warnings are in effect for at least 50 countries in territories right now, including as we mentioned here in the bay area. several aftershocks have followed the initial 8.9 quake. and they are strong. the strongest has been a 7.1 magnitude. >> the tsunami warning is in effect right now. it is for the spy west coast. now, a warning means that there is imminent threat of one. so there will be a wave that hits us, but we don't expect it to be a huge devastating thing. there are issues that go with it. low-lying areas could be impacted, harbors could be impacted and there could be issues with current. that's the main issue for us. we don't expect widespread devastation, but there are

potentially dangerous conditions. that's exactly why they are telling us here along the california coast to be on the lookout this morning. in fact, tsunami waves hit hawaii just a little while ago, about 45 minutes ago. and they continue to watch the area there. the wave there is moving about the speed of a jumbo jet, roughly about 500 miles per hour. kauai was the first island hit there. we have talked to people in hawaii at the tsunami warning center that say the waves quickly swept through the hawaiian chain there of the islands. screeching tsunami warnings are being sent out to people as well as those in hotels. they are telling them to go up to higher floors. they are trying to accommodate them. so far no reports of any injuries from the tsunami hitting the hawaii an islands. we'll continue to update you on that situation there. meantime, people here are bracing for the tsunami as well. they have set up a command center in san francisco. "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live at the department of emergency management in san francisco with the very latest. good morning, marla.

>> reporter: good morning, laura. we have been here since early this morning. as you can imagine, the folks inside got the call shortly after midnight and are on the other side of this wall. they are currently on a conference call with the california management agency. they are assessing the current risks right now. we are waiting for them to finish this conference call that includes the fire chief, the department of public works, the port of san francisco, just some of the officials here this morning assessing the situation. once they are done with the conference call then we'll bring you the latest information as to the very latest. so far i can tell you, of course, we are prepared to deal with earthquakes, tsunamis are another ball of wax. they are relying on cnn reports, of course, and their mapping system inside there. they have put together an incident management team. it is made up of san francisco police, san francisco fire, the department of public works and the port of san francisco, just to name a few. now, the waves, of course, could be arriving in the bay area. again, it is just a matter of

how big will they be shortly after 8:00. the national parks service closed all the local beaches, china beach, baker beach, ocean beach, great highway is also closed this morning. fort funston, another closure there. the outdoor public warning system at the beaches, they are in place and ready to go. those are the sirens that you hear if you live in the area, you hear them tuesday afternoon straight up at noon sounding for testing. they are ready to go, but again, the officials here, especially have been in touch directly with the deputy director. he tells me he does not think a tsunami will hit. he wants me to clarify the evacuation orders are not in place for san francisco. also, interesting, they are getting calls into the 911 system, quite a few calls, people are calling 911 asking them what to do. we are told that's not a good idea. you can call 311. that's the city service center.

you can get information that way. the best thing to do is to stay tuned to your local media to find out the very latest. live in san francisco this morning, marla tellez for "today in the bay." >> we'll be that liason for people. thank you. i do have useful information along those lines. san mateo law enforcement officers say all beaches and low-lying coastal areas should be evacuated immediately. we do expect the tsunami to hit here in a couple hours. it is not a big deal, but they want to be careful, especially in low-lying areas. people in low-lying areas of highway 1 should move to high ground east of the highway as fast as possible. you know we saw the live shot from mike a few moments ago. all the people coming out of half-moon bay and cars just parked by the dozens off to the side of the road. so some folks are getting the word there. people in the linda mar area of pacifica should move east of adobe drive. in the el granada area, move

east of that area. there are evacuation centers set up at terra nova high school, oceana high school, and a couple others on the screen. this is what we are talking about. look at the traffic there. folks have gone up the highway and then parked off to the side of the road there. i think this is -- i'm not positive, but i think this is 92 coming off of highway 1. so if you are leaving the half-moon bay area and coming inland, you would go up the hill. so people just say, we'll drive up the hill and get to higher ground. they are just parking there. look at that, just a parking lot of cars. people not wanting to take any chances there. and just to reiterate, we are talking about a tsunami wave now that they expect to be about one foot high or maybe a little more. that in and of itself doesn't sound big, but this is spread

out of a period of hours. the surge doesn't flow back to the ocean, but it can stack up. you can see potential flooding in harbors and low-lying areas. just an amazing sight here. i believe this is up by skin skyline where you can pull off the highway there over the hill to half-moon bay. that's probably where these people are. but the traffic flow on the highway looks pretty good. but it is all the congestion off to the side. there you go, there's a backup there. people are making their way up the hill, but an amazing sight this morning with word on potential flooding and people are just packed up there like a parking lot this morning. amazing pictures. we want to check in with christina loren. it does worry people, you hear about the warning and they just want to head to higher ground. >> we do have a bit of a differentiation between what we are expecting here in san francisco versus pacifica, half-moon bay, places in contra costa county. a 2.6-foot surge in the

half-moon bay area. so there's definitely reason for concern here. we are only expecting a foot and a half in san francisco. the timing is still right on point. we are expecting i thought right around 8:08 in san francisco. that's still the case. i'm watching the buoys out there. it is not large earn than what we are forecasting right now. we'll continue to track this all morning long. we are also tracking your local weather. we'll have an update on that coming up. right now, back to you. thank you very much. >> that's interesting to notice the differentiation as we go up and down our own coast this morning. we want to check in with mike who is taking a look at the -- that's an amazing picture we saw of how many folks are parked on the side of the road. >> this is purely speculation. i'm trying to get somebody to talk to me, but here on the map is where this is indicated. you can see the significant backup near highway 1 and near half-moon bay. this is right by skyline and highway 35 and 92. there's a park and ride and

there's the gore points at the interchange. where it is safe to pull off near the parking areas, they are going to park there and hang out until the warning clears. the waves come out at 8:00. they could hang out there a couple hours. they may have decided to do that since there's no real issue afterwards unless there's damage from the water. >> i'm wondering, too, we are not hearing how long the warning is in place before because we know we'll see the effects starting at 8:00 this morning. they said this can last over a period of -- >> look at the people just getting out with their whole families. >> does it last until 9:00 or 10:00? how long should they hang out there? >> that's the question, people are parking there and think it is probably for a few minutes. but this could last for a while. no reason for major alarm, but definitely do something more than pull off to the side of the highway. i don't want to report on incidents with this either. >> it is interesting how the trend start there had and everyone is doing that.

>> no reason to panic, folks, but they have been evacuated for half-moon bay. >> some people are blocking the roadways there. >> if nothing else, this is a good dry run. if we had a significant emergency, you learn from things like this. as marla mentioned, do not call 911 for information. call 311. we learn this kind of stuff, and that's good to know in case we have a big situation here. >> that's the big focus from me. talk to you later. more news and continued coverage coming up in a minute.

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i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. the car hit the brakes faster than i could. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. my car did. thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. the best or nothing. that is what drives us. welcome back, everyone. a live look at ocean beach this morning. a relatively calm quiet and no one around as we wait for the tsunami warning issued for all along the northern california coastline. >> "today in the bay's" chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is live in san francisco today. it is really interesting to

watch. as christina mentioned, within the bay area, some places maybe could see a foot to a foot-and-a-half of a swell. other places close to three pete feet. what are you seeing there? and are people down there being told anything different to prepare? >> reporter: right now we have not seen too many people coming on out and heading out to the water to take a look. so it seems like everyone is listening and staying away from the water. we have actually seen the water lower here in the past couple of hours. as you can see, it has gotten calmer. that's because we are entering a low tide event, which could be kind of the perfect scenario with this as we head into low tide over the next couple of hours. that's also when we expect this wave height to increase, potentially two to four feet here in san francisco as we head into 8:08 this morning. just to the north in cess cent crescent city, that's the

biggest area of concern. we are expecting the wave height to increase four to six feet here. crescent city is no stranger to tsunamis. they have had them in the past. it is a low-lying area of 45 feet. there have been evacuations there this morning. we know the beaches are closed. it is just a matter of how much water may accumulate there. we have no indication of anything higher than about six feet in terms of water that may come up to the coastal areas. so, you know, nonetheless, it is going to be quite astonishing to think about. that we are going to be feeling the impacts of this swarm of quakes thapds across the pacific of japan right back here into the bay area. the other thing i want to mention is while the water may look calm over the next couple of hours in some areas as we head into this low tide event, that's coinciding with the water level rising due to the tsunami. it is that under current, the tides, the undertow that could be happening, that's still

possible to pull people out and still could kill if you decide to head out on the surfboard or head out into the water to try to experience this for yourself. it is not something you need to be experiencing today. >> absolutely. it is a great point, jeff. a lot of people are looking for a big wave but the current could be a factor. appreciate it, thank you, jeff. we want to show you some pictures that we are getting in from japan's sendai airport. it is under water this morning. 1,100 people are stranded right now at the terminal of that airport. obviously, the power is out at the airport right now. and we do know that some bay area flights have been either canceled completely or diverted as we take a live look at the airport there and seeing all the water from the tsunami that triggered the alert. a lot of people use the train system as well in tokyo. and that completely is shut down, they just had to get people off the trains and try to walk them. so many people take those and they had to just walk home. but it happened at 2:45 in the afternoon. so a lot of people were, you

know, in their place of business and needed to try to get an escape. but what they are having the problem with is not only the 8.9 quake but the series of aftershocks very strong happening afterwards panicking some people. >> some 6.0 quakes happening in there. >> check your flights before you leave because we have some canceled on united and some are being diverted. now to los angeles where we have been talking about the tsunami watch all over the california coast. andi adler in l.a. is watching what we are seeing there. we checked in with san diego a short time ago, they are treating this as an advisory, but where you are there are actual beach closures. >> reporter: that's absolutely correct, brent. basically at this point what's happening is orange county beaches and malibu beaches have been shut down. there's an elementary school right around the corner, newport almostry elementary, has been shut down affecting 900

students. at this point but we have some more information on this. that's the latest from orange county. >> we want to check in with all the stations up and down the coast to check in on the tsunami coming in two hours from now. christina loren is watching the flood watch here as well. >> this is probably the biggest concern for us in the san francisco area. beach erosion, coastal flooding, and we are talking about the potential for these waves, these long-period wave that is will breaking about 15 minutes apart. this is something we'll watch until 10:30 as we head through the early part of your morning. heading through this afternoon we are looking pretty good today. temperaturewise across the bay area, we'll end up in the 50s. oakland.s incc1: 58 in fremont. and 59 in san jose. heading throughout the weekend, temperatures also look comfortable for tomorrow. then the rain arrives on sunday. so if you want to make outdoor

plans this weekend, do son so on saturday. e are following the tsunamicc1: of the becausecc1: differentiation in wave heights we are expecting all across the bay area. i think that san francisco is going to be okay with 1.5. foot and a half surge.cc almost like of it1: a storm surge with a hurricane.: it is a wall of water that is just going to come up 15 minutes apart. they are going to compile wave after wave. it looks towards 2.3 feet in pacifica. bay. 2.6 feet in half-moon cc1: 2.8 feet in santa cruz. so we are definitely going to be watching contra costa county, santa cruz all morning long. but right now we don't want you to panic. we just want you to stay alert. we'll continue to watch the situation for you all morning long. back to you guys. we want you to know the cc1: latest information, that's why we bring it to you as it comes to us. >> absolutely. we are keeping track of what's happening across the bay area and california this morning. more news coming up. we are taking a live look at

highway 92 near san mateo hills. folks are evacuating away from the hills, but look at the tie-ups. listen to us. we'll help you prevent any other accidents. i'll let you know what i'm seeing, and it is a big backup. that's coming up in traffic.

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and some of the gore free space there is, but that's all backed up by the folks now walking around their cars. it looks like the folks in an effort to evacuate half-moon bay have just gone to literally higher ground. they are up on the summit over the san mateo hills and are parking there. the san mateo sheriff's office just called to ask for police assistance through the area. the evacuation efforts from san mateo on 280 and 101 are continuing, but this is the huge backup. in wider shots we have seen slammed traffic flow all along the 92 heading over the hill from half-moon bay to 280. this is the map in relation to the rest of the commute traffic. now, the rest of the friday commute is moving pretty lightly. we don't have any issues for 101 or 280 once you get there along the coast. again, a lighter flow over the water. we are watching the great highway along the coast as well. it is closed between lake mersaid and point lobos because

of the expected higher tides through the area because of the tsunami at 8:00. but also because of spectators, they don't want people out there with the chance for higher waves. chp has cut that off. a note for folks traveling along the area. a little further north and a little further south there's a closure. meanwhile, heading under the water, no interruptions for b.a.r.t. right now. they have just sent in another evaluation. we'll get another update at 7:30. the transbay tunnel near san francisco goes under the water with the potential to be affected as the wave came through the golden gate and affected the rest of the bay. so far we are getting in service interruptions scheduled there. if you are on the trains in the phoenix next five minutes, call your friends and say they will still make it to their destination. the next evaluation is 7:30 when they decide this, but there's not expected to be any delays there. the rest of the services are in order for transit. back to you guys. we want to update you with

the latest on the tsunami and earthquake in japan. police now say they have found between 200 and 300 bodies in the northeastern central coast region there. as you can see, you get the picture of why. that is where that massive tsunami swept through villages there and through the roads and just inundated that area. tragically, we expect the death toll to climb even more. tsunami warnings because of that 8.9 in japan are in effect for at least 50 countries and territories around the world, including the tsunami warning for the bay area. again, we expect it to hit here around 8:00 this morning. there have been about 20 aftershocks in japan following that initial 8.9. the strongest aftershock, this is an aftershock, it was a 7.1. so even the aftershocks are very powerful. >> very, very strong. many damaged buildings and homes for people. now we'll go to daniel garcia who is a seismologist with the usgs. can you tell us if you have learned anything from this

massive quake and the aftershocks? >> hi, good morning. >> good morning. >> yeah, the larger aftershocks of that shouldn't be surprising. you are right, it is pretty large for an aftershock, but the main shook was 8.9. we can expect aftershocks as large as 7.5 or 7.8 or 7.9. >> how long will these last? is this the thing -- i know aftershocks can occur days, weeks, months later, but will the magnitude of these things diminish over time? >> even years. i mean, we are talking about an earthquake very similar to the last chilean earthquake in february of 2009, it was a 9.8. in this case, in the chilean earthquake, we are still recording aftershocks.

so you can think about this earthquake in the same way. we are going to be record iing large aftershocks even one or several years after this huge earthquake. >> daniel, late me ask you this quickly, you mentioned chile. we had new zealand, we have japan, i think yesterday they had a 7.0 earthquake prior to the 8.9. are all of these connected? >> well, in the case of the 7.2 that preceded this main shock, yeah, it is what we call a foreshook, though it is very hard to identify before the main shook comes. in the other cases, they are usually not connected. the earth is shaking all the time. however, in some cases the fault is based on the earth, and this 8.9 magnitude quake is pretty

common. the mag any tut of 8.9 is not common, but definitely this happens every year. so it is just the warning message for all the earthquake-prone countries. we have to be aware and have to still work on earthquake prevention. >> we have to do whatever we can to be prepared. thank you, daniel garcia, for the information joining us from the usgs in colorado this morning. >> japan is one of the most prepared countries in the world and yet look at the devastation there. we'll be right back with more. c: :

new this morning we are keeping an eye on the coast as the tsunami warning is in effect for the bay area after a deadly quake in tsunami that has killed hundreds of people in japan. and getting ready for that potential tsunami is what emergency officials are doing in san francisco this morning. good morning, i'm marla tellez.

what they want you to know before you head out the door coming up. and a live look outside this morning from san francisco. one of the places where we are watching the surge from the tsunami this morning. complete team coverage coming up. good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. 6:32 right now. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we are keeping our eye on the coast this morning. we have people stationed all throughout the bay area to let you know what's happening. we are expecting the tsunami to hit the northern california coastline in the next hour and a half or so that could bring different degrees of waves with it. >> we want to check in with christina this morning who has been watching the tides for us and all the different conditions that are associated with this. yes, certainly i am this morning. good morning to you guys. now, what happened after the sumatra quake and tsunami, we really tried to up our technology out in the ocean. so we have a series of buoys set

up that are accurate. we are still going with the timing for san francisco at 8:08 this morning. you still want to avoid the beaches, marinas and harbors. but maybe you have to get to work this morning. you want to find out what's happening, we are covering this online as well. log on to nbcbayarea.com. you'll get traffic information, you can watch real-time pictures coming through, so we are all over this this morning. now we have seen quite a stir in contra costa county this morning. we are expecting a pretty high storm surge, i call it a storm surge, but the tsunami is like a wall of water. it will have major force with it. we could see flooding in half-moon bay creating a traffic snarl in the area. we'll talk to mike inouye on what's happening there. good morning, christina. we have no major issues as far as the roadways being flooded, but the roadways are being flooded with cars right there. first of all, the great highway coming between point lobos and lake mersaid through san

francisco is closed. you can't head there. that's for that portion of the coast. but then further south folks are heading away from half-moon bay and highway 92 and highway 35 where it is jammed. it is a parking lot literally because folks are parked along the roadway. we had an earlier chopper shot, i don't know if that's available to us right now, but we have traffic flowing between highway 1 and highway 80 jammed. let me get you a live look at the bay bridge. the commute is still going on. the minor commute out there right now is cueing the metering lights to turn on. thank goodness the rest of the bay area is okay. we'll give you a note on public transit. golden gate ferries are on hold right now. no delays for b.a.r.t., but we are watching that. the chance for disturbance for the bay tube is out there. so far vallejo is the only ferry

service interrupted so far. here's the latest on that earthquake that hit in san francisco or in japan this morning. these are pictures of that devastating tsunami that went through there. and now we are being told as many as 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the northeastern coastal region. that's where the tsunami we want swept through. you can see the ship there. in some cases you can see buildings floating away. some of them were on fire as they were carried away by the water. and all of the debris there, sadly the death toll is rising there. and it could be even worse as we continue to go through this. tsunami warnings because of that are actually in effect for as many as 50 different countries and territories, including right here in the bay area. now, we don't expect anything as devastating as what they saw in japan. but still, that wave sweeping across the pacific and will be here in about an hour and a half. there have been at least 20 aftershocks following the initial 8.9 earthquake. and the strongest one was a 7.1.

that was the aftershock here. now, of course, people are bracing for the tsunami in the bay area as well. we'll keep you posted on that. we want to check in with officials from san francisco, the offices of emergency operations. and we want to check in with marla tellez who is there. you know, they are making preparations which is a good thing, and we are learning lessons from them as we get ready for when the big one could hit here, marla. >> reporter: good morning, brent. yeah, inside the department of emergency management this morning and the message among officials for you at home is calm. remain calm, do not panic. first and foremost, we want to tell you the evacuation order has not been ordered for the city of san francisco. squloun joining me is the deputy director with the department of emergency management, rob dungin, you just got off a conference call with california emergency officials. what's the latest there?

>>there's been no change here for san francisco. we are looking at a two-foot rise and the same timeframe at 8:00 in the morning. and it is still close to what would be our normal low tide today, so we are still looking at an event that's really less than our regular high tide. >> reporter: still, though, the national park service closing the beaches, why don't you tell folks about that. >> that's absolutely out of an abundance of caution. the bottom line is these events are different than high tide. as a result of that, we don't want to take any chances. we don't see a need to evacuate the waterfront or move people out of their houses or set up shelters or anything like that, but we want a buffer zone between the public and the water. we have asked them to close the beaches and they have assisted us in doing that. and we have closed the great highway as it creates a buffer zone and keeps people safe. >> reporter: again, onlookers, not a good idea to go to the beach today. >> no, we are really discouraging that. it is not a good idea to go down and watch. one thing, there's not a lot to see. there's not going to be the big

huge wave coming ashore. that's not how these things work. the more people down there, the more congestion, the more difficult it is for emergency services workers to do their jobs. >> reporter: behind us in the operations center, we were there seeing what's going on, people on the phones, what is your team doing? >> our team is talking to a lot of people. these events, particularly when you see them coming, like these tsunami-generated rises in water, you get a lot of lead time. so it comes out of gathering a lot of data, understanding what the data means and how it impacts the jurisdictions. a lot of coordination between us, the departments, the region, the state and the federal government. >> reporter: rob dungin with the department of emergency management. thank you for your time this morning. bottom line, no evacuation orders for san francisco. the great highway is closed this morning along with beaches. do not go to the local beaches. that's the latest from here in san francisco, marla tellez for "today in the bay." >> just so we don't panic

people, we don't expect the big wave like we showed you out of japan, but we do expect the ramifications of it coming our way in about an hour or so. >> reporter: brent, i should probably also mention that folks are calling 911. that's what they are telling us here. and the better option is to call 311. that is the non-emergency line. 911 officials are saying do not call 911. but instead call 311. >> a really good point to make. thank you, marla. appreciate that. of course, we are going to bring you all the information as it comes to us because we are in touch with all the different agencies. in fact, we have been talking to folks in hawaii where the tsunami hit about an hour and a half ago. the pacific tsunami warning center said kauai was the first island hit by the waves. the waves were at least three feet high. they were also reported on oahu. the waves could become larger as the tsunami travels west. residents in hawaii had hours to evacuate to higher ground as well as travelers. people spent much of last night

just trying to get prepared gathering supplies including cc: bottled water, gasoline, canned food. so far no injuries have been cc: reported. we'll continue to update you on the situation throughout the morning. all right. we want to check in with on stina as well and checkcc1: the forecast and weather and some of the different -- it is really interesting to look at the surges that you are talking different they are from place to place around the bay area. >> yeah, you are right on there, brent. it has a lot to do with the way the coastline is shaped. i do want to point out the fact that the tsunami warning is still in effect for hawaii. and they actually saw the first impacts at 5:00 a.m. so this is something that's going to impact us when it does reach us at 8:08 for several hours, possibly. it is something we are watching closely for you, especially in contra costa county. we are expecting a series of waves that crash about 15 minutes apart up to 2 1/2 feet, maybe above in half-moon bay, pacifica is also going to see a lot of the water coming into their area.

this is something we'll watch over time.cc1: it is not going to be one giant: crashing wave as our usgs official just pointed out. we do want to bring about one ore time the buoys giving uscc: the forecast between 7:30 and 8:30. san francisco, 8:08 is the time. beach erosion is likely a factor. we have a really, really powerful series of waves that have traveled very long distances. so we are going to see a lot of upwelling, and a lot of muck and mud mixing in with that wave. so it is going to be interesting to see how that plays out. for us, after we get past all this excitement in the bay area, temperatures today will be comfortable. forecasted s thecc1: high. sun and clouds. you,cc1: daylight saving time goes into effect as we head into sunday. 2:00 a.m. sunday, you want to change the clock forward.cc1: we'll lose an hour. after a long day today, it will be even harder when we have to on our way back to workcc1: monday. now mike inouye, your situation interesting today. something we don't usually see. a lot of people in contra costa

county just kind of waiting it out, huh? we are talking about san mateo county. you misspoke there, san mateo county is what we are talking c: about. a lot of folks are waiting on highway 92 and highway 356789, highway 35. this is skyline. they are parked on the side of the road. they are parked and talking. some kids goofing around. they are just watching things go by. you have to be careful, folks. this is the side of a highway. highway 92 and highway 35. you see the cars trying to get through. this is why chp is headed out there to help with traffic control. the san mateo sheriff's office is already out there. these folks are evacuating away from the coast from half-moon bay heading over toward 280. this is the area where there are a couple park and rides and other areas you can park off to the side, but as you saw how close the kids were to the freeway traffic, that's not advisable. that's highway 35 off 92 near the summit. again, use extreme caution as you come between the coast and over to 280 if that's where you are leaving.

folks are evacuating from half-moon bay. the rest of the commute is showing the bay bridge moving smoothly. at antioch highway 4 is slowing. that's typical for a friday. the rest of friday light is helping things out throughout the rest of the bay and not disturbing the flow. we have 58 to, 580 through livermore slowing down near airway. portola is there as well. the metering lights are on and have been for 15 minutes. a slow build. friday light is keeping things relatively smooth except for the 92 at 35 interchange. back to you guys. thank you, mike. >> and just to clarify real quickly, we want to point out some of the counties where we are getting warnings. marin county, san francisco county, solano county, san mateo county, all along the coastline. not contra costa county. >> we are keeping tabs on everything going on across the bay area. here's a live look outside at the golden gate bridge. we arexp aectingxpec ttihena ts our area at 8:00 this morning. stay with us. you dress like a prostitute.

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welcome back, everyone. we have been keeping our eye on the tsunami about to hit the bay area this morning. in fact, we want to check with christie smith live in pacifica this morning. you just talked to a family told to evacuate? >> reporter: yeah, you know, we just turned the corner and saw people throwing things into their car to leave. but i wanted to show you where we are now. we are just above the hill from where the people are leaving. and we are on the cliff here in

pacifica where people are driving up to keep an eye on the water, but also if steve can pan over to the beach, normally you would see people out there walking their dogs, that sort of thing. but it is totally empty. when we drove by there were police there basically blocking any sort of beach access for obvious reasons. people here are telling us they are expecting the big waves to come in around 7:30 or 8:00 this morning. people in linda mar are asked to get east of adobe drive. also get past el gras that in day. we just spoke to a family baking up with three dogs in the car, some food and they are trying to leave. >> after what happened in indonesia, we are not taking chances. we just want to all leave and be safe. and higher ground is good enough. this is low to me, unfortunately, because i remember what happened back in the '60s. so we are leaving. >> reporter: now, there are a couple of high schools set up for shelters for people who are

leaving. oceana high and pescadero high school. the family says they may check out a high school, but they just don't want to take any chances. they have been watching the coverage from japan, and you see a lot of police around along the coast driving down. there are a lot of police around, and not a lot of people. if you do see them, they are heading away to higher ground. it is quite a site to just see no one out there, but folks are expecting something to happen some time soon. so everyone is keeping an eye on the water. that's the latest from here, reporting live in pacifica, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> do people seem panicked at all, christie? >> reporter: i wouldn't say they are panicked, but they are moving quickly. they saw what happened in japan, they are not taking any chances. obviously, we have been through earthquakes here, people know what kind of devastation could happen potentially.

not a lot of panic, but certainly people are moving pretty quickly. >> not panicked but precautionary. be careful yourself out there. in the meantime, we have more coverage coming up. we are back in a couple minutes. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. they were thrilled. she's a natural vibrato. oh. we started saving for this music camp in vermont. so i told them about some of the wells fargo online savings tools

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good morning to you. if you are just joining us we want to make you aware of the fact that we have a tsunami warning in place for the west coast. we are expecting about a 1 1/2-foot wave to arrive in san francisco at 8:08 this morning. we are concerned about the situation, but it is going to correspond with low tide. low tide is taking place right now and it will continue for the next hour or so. so the two combined could make the situation okay in places like san francisco. we do have more concern in areas like san mateo county where we are expecting maybe up to a

three-foot wave. and we are going to see a series of waves. we'll see them break 15 minutes apart over the course of several hours. this is something we'll follow the next couple of hours. we have live reporters all across the bay area. this is something we are also going to continue to cover throughout the "today" show. if you have to leave for work right now, log on to our website throughout the day and you can get updates there on nbcbayarea.com. we'll get to your local forecast, after all, it is a friday. this is what the weather will be like this weekend. we'll remind you to set the clock forward one hour saturday into sunday. 62 degrees is the forecasted high for sunday. remember, spring forward daylight savings time begins heading into this weekend. now, here's the tsunami warning situation. 2.3-foot waves expected in pacifica. up to 2.6 feet in half-moon bay. as a result, there have been evacuations ordered. and that's kind of creating a stir in san mateo county. mike inouye is covering it and the rest of your drive right now. that's right, christina.

you know, we just talked about the family evacuating from pacifica. half-moon bay has folks leaving there. a lot of folks. we'll take a look at the map showing 92 at 35. our chopper is over the scene. all those folks are on the side of the road. you can see cars squeezing through the middle. chs assisting with traffic there as well as the san mateo sheriff's office. all the folks are at the summit coming over from half-moon bay over the hill to 280. people are stopped there. they know that the tsunami alert is coming through at 8:00. they want to hang out at higher ground. they are out of the cars walking around, so use caution through this portion of 92 and 35 because it is very dangerous. we saw kids walking right along the roadway. we are watching for that. meanwhile, we'll look at the rest of the commute. things are moving smoothly to the bay bridge. we do note that the great highway is closed as well between point lobos and lake hersaid. they don't want spectator there is. here are the metering lights on.

there's a light friday build here with the metering lights not a major problem. we are watching transit because bart back and forth was a concern. b.a.r.t. is operating son schedule. no delays. we are watching for the update as b.a.r.t. has the tunnel going under water. they we are concerned of the effect on the bay and for the tunnel, but no problems here virginia lay vallejo ferry is the only one with delays. no interruptions anywhere else. we'll continue to monitor this and send it back to you guys. it all started because of the earthquake. and the eventual tsunami in japan. police have now found between 200 and 300 bodies in the northeastern coastal region of that country. that is where that massive tsunami wave, you see it in this picture, it just completely swept away villages and roadways. nearly 350 are confirmed missing. that 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck just north of tokyo.

and to put it in perspective, seismologists say that quake is 900 times stronger than the 6.9 quake that hit loma prieta in 1959. we have been telling you that many areas have a tsunami warning. 20 aftershocks followed the initial 8.9 quake in japan. the strongest so far has been a 7.1 in magnitude. you mentioned the tsunami in hi that hit there a couple hours ago, but they could still see the effects. this is not just kind of a quick wave, it is something that may take hours to move through. the pacific tsunami warning in kauai was the first area to be hit. waves were three feet high on oahu and kauai. people had several hours to evacuate and they gave the evacuation orders to go to higher ground five hours before it hit. people along the coast had time to get to shelters at refugee centers and community schools. a lot of people spent much of

last night trying to get supplies including bottled water, gasoline and canned food. some shops are just cleaned out we are told. the good news is no reports of injuries or damage in hawaii at all, but we'll continue to get updates from them and keep you posted all morning long. it has been interesting, i want to bring up the social media aspect of it, just communication and getting the word out. when something happens locally you want to turn to your local news, but a lot of people are trying to get in contact with friend and loved one this is morning. i have used it via twitter and facebook just talking to a friend of mine to make sure you are okay. >> scott mcgrew is here with more on this, too. >> google set up an information site, in fact, you can get to it from google.com as far as if you are looking for people in japan. and if you have been watching the social media, earlier in the newscast we used twitter to talk to somebody in hawaii to report the waves as he watched them roll in. i have also been talking to local employers who are involved very close to the bay area.

cargill salt, chevron, the water works companies are another big one. we have no information from them as to exactly what they plan. this is something that may have caught their management a bit off guard, but obviously if you work in one of those low areas, call your employer and find out what they want you to do this morning. thank you very much. we want to take a living look at ocean beach this morning. we are keeping a good eye on all the shorelines across the bay area. >> yeah, it is interesting, as christie smith pointed out, you would lot of folks heading out to the beach this morning for a walk or something, but they are vacant because they are closed down. this is an amazing shot of the day near skyline boulevard in san mateo county. people are leaving half-moon bay area. look at them just parked all along the roadways here. they wanted to get to higher ground, and so they are there. we now see chp officers there because there are so many cars parked everywhere, and there are people out of the cars.

meantime, this is an active highway and people are trying to get around so the chp is guiding people through. we'll be back with continuing news this morning keeping you updated on the tsunami heading to the northern california coastline. ♪ when you need a lift, just sing a song ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy with a natural treat ♪ ♪ have a good daisy, healthy foods to eat ♪ ♪ when you want some joy, dance to the beat ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy [ female announcer ] enjoy the fresh, 100% natural choice in cottage cheese. ♪ have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy

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