WATCH: Stunning satellite animations (x7) of extremely powerful volcanic eruption in Tonga + new smaller eruption Sunday

Updated 7:32pm Sunday — Huge volcanic eruptions that caused a Pacific-wide tsunami and turned daylight into darkness on Saturday afternoon in Tonga has been captured by Himawari-8 satellite imagery. So too, has a smaller scale eruption around lunchtime Sunday.

Video has also surfaced in New Zealand of tsunami damaging Tutukaka marina – showing our coastal areas are more dangerous today.

NZ Civil Defence says due to the tsunami New Zealanders need to STAY OFF Beaches and avoid the shoreline. This even includes the West Coast of the South Island.

As of 7:30pm Sunday satellite imagery suggests the biggest volcanic eruption has stopped and, for now, it’s much quieter.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says the satellite imagery is one of a kind capturing an eruption this big and this clearly.

#AshClouds from yesterday's giant #eruption in #Tonga is tonight turning rust coloured as the sun sets. 🟠🟠🌋

It's fanning out westwards over the Coral Sea area and currently lies over #Fiji, #Vanuatu, #NouvelleCaledonie and over the #CoralSea towards #Queensland. pic.twitter.com/mDeG7dmQJ0
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 16, 2022

When a #volcano has a huge #eruption, like we saw in #Tonga, the ash can reach extremely high altitudes. Air currents at this level behave differently to the ones at surface level (where we live). For now, NZ can expect most of the ash to pull away from Tonga and out to open sea. pic.twitter.com/sjhCq2IRO6
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 16, 2022

Satellite Animation (last 6 hours of Sunday morning) over #Tonga.

Loop starts with the bright red of yesterday's large scale eruption cloud dissipating, then shows a smaller scale eruption in the past hour or so.#eruption #volcano #himawari https://t.co/Pm2OWgcGPf pic.twitter.com/oNpUumzQsl
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

12:30pm NZDT/Tonga: Visible satellite imagery from the past few hours shows the huge cloud from yesterday's big #eruption dissipating & another visible eruption in the past hour.

Westerly winds are now kicking in across #Tonga, blowing much of the ash cloud out to sea. #Volcano pic.twitter.com/W9xUrPnBbM
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

#NewZealand #tsunami #Tonga https://t.co/klLU1DYYuk
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

Incredible to see the atmospheric shockwave from #Tonga #eruption was detected in the #UK… https://t.co/qdrIOTrMRh
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

The thick cloud over #Tonga following the big eruptions on Saturday is now starting to break up.

Past few hours in a few seconds: pic.twitter.com/MQAczABsyB
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

4 images, from the same height and cropped area, showing just 30 minutes of time.

4th image – the eruption cloud is now 350 kilometres (218 miles) in diameter.#Tonga #Eruption #Volcano #HimawariSatellite https://t.co/gb7E1quzdb pic.twitter.com/fyByk3DghX
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

10:10PM: Infra-red satellite imagery from the past 60 minutes shows the #volcano in #Tonga still very much erupting. The white blip in the middle is a sign of large very recent eruption (not as large as the initial though). https://t.co/gb7E1quzdb pic.twitter.com/xL5fLgYGQL
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

The energy release is simply astonishing. #Tonga #Eruption #NewZealand.

Tonga is around 2000km away from New Zealand. Reports of people hearing the sonic booms across NZ. https://t.co/RjMNliWr8a
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

Absolutely stunning satellite imagery of the #Tonga eruption a short time ago. #NewZealand's North Island at the bottom left. pic.twitter.com/FCioKkbvJU
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

Visible satellite imagery – close up over #Tonga. Absolutely enormous #eruption. pic.twitter.com/R6oVgtzTgg
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

Water vapour imagery shows how the #eruption causes a ripple effect across the atmosphere. Absolutely enormous energy. #Tonga pic.twitter.com/POogVjnWit
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

Infrared Satellite Imagery shows how clear skies were fast replaced by the giant #eruption cloud over #Tonga in the past couple hours. pic.twitter.com/pxqA4LymlH
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) January 15, 2022

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Richard McBride on 16/01/2022 1:54am

A bit of a spike in pressure recorded by my PWS last night:- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10227918151007124&set=a.1313159117027&type=3¬if_id=1642297391837801¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Gary on 15/01/2022 8:55pm

Thanks for that WW, quite simply stunning really!!

Liz Attree on 15/01/2022 8:04pm

Gosh I hope all in Tonga are ok. Be a sad loss of property, hope no lives are lost.

Bronie on 15/01/2022 12:18pm

Thanks. Now I know what I felt and heard in West Auckland.

Clare on 15/01/2022 11:11am

Heard a series of sonic booms here in Kerikeri- the first was loud enough to shake the ground under my feet and brought the neighbour running out from her house!

Lizzie Ngarama on 15/01/2022 10:02am

Heard 4 booms. 1st faint, getting louder last one shock house in Te Aroha

Dawn on 15/01/2022 9:06am

Heard several booms over half an hour. Couldn’t work out where the noise was coming from. I live near Papamoa.

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