30/07/2025
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings for parts of Japan, Alaska and Hawaii, with alerts also issued for the United States West Coast and Guam.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck around 8:25 a.m. Japan time, about 85 miles off the Kamchatka coast, at a depth of nearly 12 miles. It was followed by aftershocks of 6.3 and 6.9 magnitude. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed a tsunami had been generated, warning of potentially destructive waves. Waves between 3 to 10 feet (1 and 3 meters) above tide level are possible in Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves greater than 9 meters are possible along parts of Russia and Ecuador.
A tsunami warning is still in effect for a portion of Northern California's coast. Hawaii, South of Fortuna, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and the U.S. territory of Guam are under a tsunami advisory.
A tsunami happens when an earthquake shifts the ocean floor, pushing a massive column of water up or down. This sudden movement sends waves racing outward. If the quake is strong enough—usually magnitude 7.0 or higher—and close to the surface, the resulting tsunami can bring water surging onto coastlines, rising quickly and posing serious danger to anyone nearby.
"Any earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7.0 poses a tsunami risk even thousands of miles away from the epicenter," Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations, said.
Sirens sounded across all Hawaiian islands as part of the state’s emergency warning system. People are urged to evacuate coastal areas, according to officials. All shores of the islands are at risk because tsunami waves wrap around islands, the National Weather Service said.
Tsunami waves arrived around 12 a.m. EDT at Midway Island, increasing water levels by 7 feet (2 meters). By 1 a.m. EDT, waves started to approach Hawaii, rising water levels by 5.5 feet in Kahului Harbor and 2 feet in Hilo.
Monterrey Bay, California, started to have impacts of the arriving tsunami around 4 a.m. EDT, where waters have risen by 0.5 of a foot, with a 1-foot rise in Crescent City, California.
