Tsunami Warning Map Shows US Areas Under Threat

The U.S., Japan, China and Philippines are bracing for tsunamis after 8.8 magnitude earthquake - one of the strongest ever recorded - struck in the Pacific Ocean off Russia's far east coast.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Tsunami Warning Center (TWC) maps showed Hawaii and a portion of Northern California were under a rare tsunami warning—the highest level of alert— earlier today and on Tuesday evening. In Hawaii, this has now been downgraded to an advisory warning. A previous warning for parts of Alaska's Aleutian Islands was also downgraded to the same level earlier.

"Tsunami advisories mean that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is expected or is already occurring," the National Weather Serice explains. "Areas in the advisory should not expect widespread inundation. Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest."

Similar warnings have been put in place by equivalent weather bodies in Russia, Japan and other East Asian countries.

Hawaii Map Shows Areas Impacted

The previous tsunami warning, which covered all eight of Hawaii's islands, has now been downgraded to an advisory, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency confirmed on X.

"Remain cautious in or near the water. Widespread flooding is NOT expected. Stay away from beaches, shorelines, and out of the ocean," Oahu Emergency Management posted following the announcement.

According to the NWS, waves of 5.7 feet were reported in Kahului, Maui County. In Honolulu, the state capital and most populous city in the state, there were waves of 1.1 feet.

Alaska Map

In Alaska, the previous tsunami warning has now been downgraded to an advisory, which is in place across the Aleutian Islands, which stretches into the North Pacific Ocean out from the Alaska Peninsula. The advisory spans from Attu Island on the westernmost tip of the archipelago to Chignik Bay. Again, those in the impacted areas are urged to move to higher ground away from the coastline.

The NWS has reported waves of 1.8 feet in Atka, 1.3 feet in Nikolski, and 1 foot in Dutch Harbor.

West Coast Map

The west coast, spanning northernmost Washington to Southern California, is currently under a tsunami advisory. A tsunami warning is also in place for the Northern Humboldt Coast and Coastal Del Norte in California, the NWS has said.

Tsunami activity intensified along the Northern California coast on Wednesday morning as high tide neared, the NWS office in Eureka reported. Confirmed wave heights reached 3.6 feet in Crescent City, 3.0 feet in Arena Cove, and 1.2 feet in Humboldt Bay. According to the weather service, the wave levels in Crescent City and Arena Cove were sufficient to cause minor flooding and coastal inundation.

The NWS in Los Angeles had said rising water levels and strong currents may affect all of the state's beach areas. "Tsunamis typically arrive as a series of waves, which can be dangerous for many hours after the first wave," it warned.

Japan and Russia

Series of waves have already hit Japan and Russia, which are much closer to the earthquake site just off Russia's Kuril Islands.

Tsunami warnings are in effect for a major stretch of Japan's eastern Pacific coast, from Hokkaido's eastern Pacific coast. According to The Associated Press Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the initial tsunami wave, measuring approximately 30 centimeters (around 1 foot), reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly 2 million residents are now under evacuation advisories.

In far east Russia, Russian authorities said that waves 9.8 feet high hit in Severokurilsk, Sakhalin Oblast. A state of emergency has been declared on the Kuril Islands, close to the earthquake

epicenter.