No Tsnuami: Here’s Why a Buoy Freaked Out on the New Jersey Coast

Maintenance turned out to be the reason a buoy off the New Jersey coast went into "event mode" on Saturday, prompting Internet rumors and speculation about tsunami warnings.

The National Data Buoy Center told NJ Advance Media in a statement that "routine maintenance" on  Station 44402 "caused a data spike on the National Data Buoy Center's website, although there was no tsunami threat present. In the event of a real tsunami threat, NOAA's tsunami warning centers will alert the public."

The buoy, located 130 nautical miles southeast of Fire Island, New York, recorded a sudden drop in the water depth of 88 feet on Saturday night, which then jumped to 180 feet within 15 seconds, as if there was a tsunami-sized wave off the coast.

The news website Newsworks said that no other buoys in the area recorded any changes in the ocean level.