The Bureau of Meteorology is conducting annual testing of our tsunami warning systems today (26 August 2026) as part of the multi-agency PacWave26 Tsunami Exercise.
Since 2008, the bureau, in partnership with Geoscience Australia, has operated the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC). The role of the JATWC is to detect, monitor, verify and warn of any tsunami threats to the coastline of Australia and its offshore territories on a 24/7 ongoing basis.
Testing our tsunami warning systems ensures the bureau and our partners are prepared for real tsunami threats to Australia. Regular joint exercises also support the continuous improvement of tsunami warning systems.
PacWave exercises were first conducted in 2006 and are ongoing.
No action is required by the community.
The bureau will continue to issue all forecasts and warnings to the public via our website www.bom.gov.au and BOM Weather app during the exercise.
