Tsunami Advisory in California, Dozens Dead in Samoa

F My Life: It's Funny, It's True, Except When It Happens to You

The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami advisory for some coastal areas of California, including Santa Cruz County, following the 8.3 earthquake that struck American Samoa on Tuesday.

The advisory is really just a heads-up to mariners because the threat seems to be minimal. The tsunami size is being estimated in centimeters.

"It could generate some strong currents," said Dan Gudgel, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Monterey.

A tsunami with "amplitudes in the range of 20-65 centimeters (7-25 inches)" is expected to hit the coast around 9 p.m. local time, according to the NWS.

"It might be sloshing around for an hour and a half after that," Gudgel said.

Meanwhile, dozens of people are reported to have been killed in American Somoa, with some reports suggesting the death toll could be in the "hundreds."

The death toll so far is unconfirmed. An earlier report stated that 14 people had died, while officials in Somoa have so far only confirmed that there had been deaths, but declined to offer a number. Entire villages have been wiped out, however.