A ‘tsunami warning’ issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) sent Tasmanians into a brief panic today, only for them to later be told it was a test.
Many Australians mistook the localised test alerts sent around midday for the real deal.
Advertisement
The message did not explicitly state that it was a test, leaving residents in the dark about its purpose.
The test warnings placed locations like Launceston and the north-west coast under a tsunami watch.
“The Bureau of Meteorology issued test verification posts on the BOM App between 11AM-12PM AEST on Wednesday 25 September 2024 as part of the transition to the new tsunami early warning system software,” a spokesperson said.
“There is no tsunami threat to Australia.”
