Residents along the New South Wales and Queensland coasts experienced brief panic on Wednesday when Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology mistakenly issued a tsunami warning. The alert, sent just after 11:30 a.m., informed app users that a tsunami was approaching, following an 8.2 magnitude earthquake near New Zealand’s west coast.
The warning reached people as far inland as Canberra, which is 125 kilometers from the nearest beach. Moments later, a second message was sent, canceling the tsunami warning and clarifying that the previous alert had been a test. Despite a prior notice on social media, many users were unaware that a test was scheduled.
Nothing quite like a casual tsunami warning to get the heat rate up on a Wednesday @BOM_NSW pic.twitter.com/pG1oFQbsJg
— Nathanael Peacock (@OhThatPeacock) September 25, 2024
Wow, my friend @AKOz100 sent me this screenshot of a cancelled Tsunami warning for Canberra! I mean, we’re about to have rain today and a 50mm downpour tomorrow but if Lake Burley-Griffin ever had a tsunami, it would probably signal the end of the world was coming!! 🤣😂 #tsunami… pic.twitter.com/AcNDmPvnvs
— Ale𝕏 Zaharov-Reutt (@alexonline888) September 25, 2024
Some app users expressed alarm and confusion on social media during the brief period between the two messages. The Bureau of Meteorology apologized for the unintended alarm, explaining that the test was part of the transition to new tsunami early warning system software.
“There is NO tsunami threat to Australia,” a bureau spokesperson confirmed, emphasizing the importance of testing to ensure preparedness for real threats. The Bureau of Meteorology is a key partner in the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, which is responsible for detecting, monitoring, and issuing warnings for potential tsunami threats to Australia’s coastline and offshore territories.
