A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck the upper Pacific Ocean on Tuesday evening, prompting tsunami warnings for Hawaii, parts of Alaska, and the West Coast. The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 74 miles east of Kamchatsky, on the southeastern coast of Russia’s Pacific Ocean peninsula. The quake occurred at a depth of 11 miles, leading to a series of aftershocks, some reaching a magnitude of 6.9.
The earthquake was detected at 1:24 p.m. Hawaiian Time, and the first waves have already made landfall in parts of Russia and Japan. Residents of Honolulu have been advised to seek higher ground as the tsunami waves are expected to reach Hawaii around 7:17 p.m. HST.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the island of O’ahu has opened parts of its access roads to facilitate residents’ evacuation to higher ground. Governor Josh Green urged Hawaiians to remain calm and evacuate coastal areas, reminding them that no lives were lost during the 2011 tsunami, which generated waves up to 7 feet high.
Tsunami expert Dr. Chip McCreery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the threat is significant and could result in flooding. He explained that the tsunami could cause sea levels to rise up to 10 feet above normal for several minutes before receding.
Alaska’s Aleutian island chain is also under a tsunami alert, with waves expected to reach parts of Alaska by 4:46 p.m. local time. The Pacific Coast, including California, Washington, and Oregon, is under a tsunami watch, with waves expected to make landfall around 11:40 p.m. in the north and about an hour later in southern California.
President Trump addressed the situation on social media, urging those in affected areas to stay strong and safe. Evacuations are already underway in parts of Russia and Japan, where the first tsunami waves have begun to hit the shores.
The earthquake is the third largest in the last 25 years and the largest since the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Officials are still assessing the extent of the tsunami threat as the situation continues to unfold.