Cape May County, NJ, Residents Receive Test Tsunami Warning Alert
If you received a test tsunami warning message this afternoon from officials in Cape May County, there's nothing to worry about.
What Happened
At about 12:30 Tuesday afternoon, Cape May County residents who are signed up to receive weather alerts from local government officials received a "TEST Tsunami Warning" alert from the National Tsunami Warning Center.
But there is no actual danger of a tsunami -- just as the message says, it was only a test.
- WHAT IS A TSUNAMI? Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.
Why the Alert Was Sent
Once in a while, the National Tsunami Warning Center sends test messages to the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Mt. Holly just to make sure those two offices can communicate in the event of a real emergency.
Obviously, those communications channels work just fine, and whatever system the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management uses for weather and other alerts decided to forward that test message, which caught some people off guard.
The Official Test Message
This is the actual message that was sent, in case you were curious:
655
SEUS41 KPHI 171732
TMAPHI
TSUNAMI TEST MESSAGE TO WC/ATWC
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1231 PM EST TUE FEB 17 2026
TO: NWS NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK
FROM: WFO MOUNT HOLLY NJ
SUBJ: TEST...RECEIVED TEST TSUNAMI BULLETIN...TEST
A. UR WEXX30 PAAQ TSUATE RECEIVED AT 1730Z
B. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
C. PHI MIC EMAIL ADDRESS [redacted]
D. PHI PHONE NUMBER IS 609-[redacted]
$$
MPS
Yes, NJ Has Seen Tsunamis
In case you were wondering, yes, the Jersey Shore has seen reported tsunamis over the years, although those claims are often questioned.
According to WPIX-TV, the last two reported in New Jersey happened in 1938 and 1944. Many believe those were not true tsunamis, by definition, and were most likely caused by passing hurricanes.
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Chris Coleman, a South Jersey native, is the brand manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM and afternoon on-air personality on WPUR Cat Country 107.3 in Atlantic City, NJ. He joined the station in February 1998 and covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey for Townsquare Media. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com
