Tsunami Alerts in Russia, Hawaii, Japan, California, Kamchatka, Los Angeles: A massive magnitude 8.7 earthquake hit Russia’s Peninsula on July 29, resulting in tsunami alerts across the Pacific. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centres have issued urgent warnings for all Hawaiian, whereas Japan’s Meteorological Agency has raised alerts across its eastern shore from Hokkaido to Wakayama Prefecture, expecting waves from 1 and 3 metres.

The National Weather Service (NWS) have alerted that, “A tsunami has been confirmed and some impacts are expected,” and added that dangerous waves could wrap around islands, placing all the shores at risk. According to the latest report, the first wave of the tsunami has struck Hokkaido in northern Japan and the Kuril Islands in Russia. Precautionary sirens and evacuations have been implemented, especially in Honolulu and other coastal zones, as per ABC News.

Islands that are under threat

Guam

Palau

Solomon Islands

Marshall Islands

Midway Atoll

Wake Island

Johnston Atoll

Northern Mariana Islands

Yap

Pohnpei

Korsae

Chuuk

Aleutian Islands

As per a post by metrologist Dan Pope on X, the estimated Tsunami arrival time along with dates:

Alaska (As per Alaska Daylight Time, July, 29)

Kodiak – 8:20 PM, ADT

Seward – 8:45 PM, ADT

Elfin Cove – 8:50 PM, ADT

Yakutat – 8:55 PM, ADT

Sitka – 8:55 PM, ADT

Valdez – 9:05 PM, ADT

Cordova – 9:15 PM, ADT

Homer – 9:40 PM, ADT

Craig – 9:55 PM, ADT

British Columbia (As per Pacific Daylight Time, July 29)

Langara – 10:05 PM, PDT

Tofino – 11:38 PM, PDT

Washington (As per Pacific Daylight Time, July 29)

La Push – 11:35 PM, PDT

Neah Bay – 11:40 PM, PDT

Moclips – 11:50 PM, PDT

Westport – 11:55 PM, PDT

Port Angeles – 12:22 AM, PDT, July 30

Bellingham – 1:10 AM, PDT, July 30

Oregon (As per Pacific Daylight Time, July 29)

Newport – 11:55 PM, PDT

Port Orford – 11:40 PM, PDT

Long Beach – 11:45 PM, PDT

Charleston – 11:45 PM, PDT

Brookings – 11:50 PM, PDT

Seaside – 11:55 PM, PDT

Tsunami alert issued for California

As per a report by KTLA, a tsunami watch alert has been issued for parts of the US West Coast, including California. The expected time of tsunami arrival for California is:

Santa Barbara– around 12:50 am PST

La Jolla around 1:15 am PST

Newport Beach-1: 10 am, PST

Oceanside is expected to experience it at 1:15 am, PST

Los Angeles Harbor is likely to get it by 1:05 am, PST

Officials have confirmed tsunami warnings for these places, including:

Hawaii, Guam, Micronesian Islands, Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Marshall Islands are currently under the tsunami watch list, as reported by the Guardian.

Aleutian Islands, Alaska, are under a warning zone.

California, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington have also been kept under tsunami watch.

Japan’s alert has been extended from eastern Hokkaido to western coastal areas, specific directives have also been issued to stay away from beaches, ports and riverbanks. Evacuations are currently in process in Fukushima, Chiba and Ibaraki.
Regions in Latin America like Costa Rica, Chile and Ecuador, as well as islands in the Central Pacific like Johnston Atoll are also on tsunami alerts, although they continue to be on lower watch level alerts.

Geographical concern of the Kamchatka earthquake epicentre

The earthquake epicentre is situated along the volatile Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone, where the Pacific Plates below the Okhotsk microplate, a region which is famous for earthquakes and tsunamis. Earlier events include the 1952 Severo-Kurilsk quake, which was at magnitude 9.0 and which sent waves up to 18 m high crashing over to local areas and reaching across the Pacific and Hawaii with a lot of force.

As per a report by The Sun, the region’s seismic history and the earthquake’s depth of 19.3 km, authorities are on alert. Waves arriving in distant places may not be strongest, but it can later pose danger as wave heights continue to be unpredictable. 

AloJapan.com