The National Weather Service says there is no tsunami threat to Maine or the East Coast - or anywhere else in the U.S. or Canada - following some false reports to apps.
The Weather Service made the announcement on social media Tuesday morning after seeing what it called erroneous reports of such a danger.
The Boston Globe reported that the false alarm was triggered because of a glitch during a routine test, resulting in some users of mobile apps receiving the false alert.
The National Weather Service further reassured its followers that there is no tsunami warning, watch, or advisory for any part of the U.S. or Canada today.
We've seen reports that some people have received an erroneous tsunami alert. There is NO tsunami threat to Maine. #mewx #nhwx
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) February 6, 2018
Susan Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the NWS, told NPR, "The National Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service issued a routine test message at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET this morning. The nest message was released by at least one private sector company as an official Tsunami Warning, resulting in widespread reports of tsunami warnings received via phones and other media across the East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean."
The Weather Service also directed the public to the National Tsunami Warning System, as a resource and another reminder that no threat currently exists.
(This post was updated Tuesday with information from NOAA and the National Tsunami Warning System.)
