One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.What we knowAn 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at around 11:30 a.m. local time.It is the sixth-strongest earthquake in recorded history.Tsunami waves first reached Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island of Hokkaido, but have since begun hitting U.S. shores. Small tsunami waves have been observed in Alaska and NOAA says waves have been observed in Hawaii. Tsunami advisories are in effect for Hawaii, Alaska and New Zealand. Advisories are also set for Oregon, Washington, California and western Canada. A Tsunami Warning is also issued for a portion of the California coast at Cape Mendocino, near the border with Oregon. Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. But the danger already appeared to be lessening, with Hawaii and parts of Japan downgrading their warnings.Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula near the quake’s epicenter, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.People flocked to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan’s nuclear plants were reported Wednesday.Russian authorities said several people were injured, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details. In Japan, at least one person was injured.A tsunami height of 10 to 13 feet was recorded in Kamchatka, 2 feet on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, while tsunami waves about 2 to 5 feet high reached San Francisco early Wednesday, officials said.Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory. Video below: How scientists track tsunami wavesHawaii downgrades to tsunami advisory Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, had been lifted.An advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbors.“As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water,” said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska.“A tsunami is not just one wave,” he said. “It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.”Hawaii Gov. Josh Green earlier said Black Hawk helicopters were activated and high-water vehicles ready to go in case authorities needed to rescue people.Video below: Sirens sound in Hawaii after tsunami warningThe Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast. It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.A tsunami of less than 30 centimeters (under 1 foot) was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and waves of up to 1.4 feet (under 30 centimeters) above tide levels were observed in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.Video below: People evacuating the low areas of Hawaii amid tsunami warningVideo below: Aerial footage of California coastline as tsunami advisory put in placeRussian regions report limited damageThe quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japanese and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its strength to 8.8 magnitude and a depth of 13 miles.The quake was centered about 74 miles east-southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.Video below: Powerful aftershocks have hit Russia’s far eastern coast after initial huge quakeSeverokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the fishing port in the city was flooded by tsunami waves, which washed fishing boats into the sea. He said that no major damage was recorded.Power supplies have been shut down and the authorities were checking the power network after the flooding.Video below: Emergency workers at site of a damaged kindergarten after an earthquake in Kamchatka Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes The earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.A tsunami of 2 feet was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves, including 8 inches in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake.In Japan’s northern coastal town of Matsushima, dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation center, where water bottles were distributed and an air conditioner was running. One person told NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the 2011 tsunami. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned evacuees that they may not be able to return home by the end of the day, as the tsunami waves could remain high at least for a day.Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety.Video above: What potential tsunami waves from the massive earthquake off the coast of Russia could look likePhilippine authorities advised people to stay away from the beach and coastal areas. “It may not be the largest of waves, but these can continue for hours and expose people swimming in the waters to danger,” Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told The Associated Press.Mexico’s navy warned that tsunami waves will start reaching the northern coast in Ensenada, near California, at around 2:22 a.m. Wednesday local time, and waves could progress along the Pacific coast to Chiapas state, around 7:15 a.m. local time.New Zealand authorities warned of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation. The emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries.People were urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed late Wednesday in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world’s most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas due to climate change.Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
TOKYO —
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.
What we knowAn 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at around 11:30 a.m. local time.It is the sixth-strongest earthquake in recorded history.Tsunami waves first reached Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island of Hokkaido, but have since begun hitting U.S. shores. Small tsunami waves have been observed in Alaska and NOAA says waves have been observed in Hawaii. Tsunami advisories are in effect for Hawaii, Alaska and New Zealand. Advisories are also set for Oregon, Washington, California and western Canada. A Tsunami Warning is also issued for a portion of the California coast at Cape Mendocino, near the border with Oregon.
Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. But the danger already appeared to be lessening, with Hawaii and parts of Japan downgrading their warnings.
Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula near the quake’s epicenter, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.
People flocked to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan’s nuclear plants were reported Wednesday.
Russian authorities said several people were injured, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details. In Japan, at least one person was injured.
A tsunami height of 10 to 13 feet was recorded in Kamchatka, 2 feet on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, while tsunami waves about 2 to 5 feet high reached San Francisco early Wednesday, officials said.
Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory.
Video below: How scientists track tsunami waves
Hawaii downgrades to tsunami advisory
Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, had been lifted.
An advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbors.
“As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water,” said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska.
“A tsunami is not just one wave,” he said. “It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green earlier said Black Hawk helicopters were activated and high-water vehicles ready to go in case authorities needed to rescue people.
Video below: Sirens sound in Hawaii after tsunami warning
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast. It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.
“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.
A tsunami of less than 30 centimeters (under 1 foot) was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and waves of up to 1.4 feet (under 30 centimeters) above tide levels were observed in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
ap
A traffic jam forms in Honolulu Tuesday, July 29, 2025 as people heed a tsunami evacuation warning that coincided with rush hour following a powerful earthquakes in Russia’s Far East early Wednesday.
Video below: People evacuating the low areas of Hawaii amid tsunami warning
Video below: Aerial footage of California coastline as tsunami advisory put in place
Russian regions report limited damage
The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japanese and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its strength to 8.8 magnitude and a depth of 13 miles.
The quake was centered about 74 miles east-southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.
Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences via AP
This image taken from a video released by Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, shows the aftermath of tsunami hitting the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk at Paramushir island of Kuril Islands, Russia, Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Video below: Powerful aftershocks have hit Russia’s far eastern coast after initial huge quake
Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the fishing port in the city was flooded by tsunami waves, which washed fishing boats into the sea. He said that no major damage was recorded.
Power supplies have been shut down and the authorities were checking the power network after the flooding.
Video below: Emergency workers at site of a damaged kindergarten after an earthquake in Kamchatka
Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.
The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.
A tsunami of 2 feet was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves, including 8 inches in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake.
In Japan’s northern coastal town of Matsushima, dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation center, where water bottles were distributed and an air conditioner was running. One person told NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the 2011 tsunami.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned evacuees that they may not be able to return home by the end of the day, as the tsunami waves could remain high at least for a day.
Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety.
Video above: What potential tsunami waves from the massive earthquake off the coast of Russia could look like
Philippine authorities advised people to stay away from the beach and coastal areas. “It may not be the largest of waves, but these can continue for hours and expose people swimming in the waters to danger,” Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told The Associated Press.
Mexico’s navy warned that tsunami waves will start reaching the northern coast in Ensenada, near California, at around 2:22 a.m. Wednesday local time, and waves could progress along the Pacific coast to Chiapas state, around 7:15 a.m. local time.
New Zealand authorities warned of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation. The emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries.
People were urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed late Wednesday in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.
Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world’s most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas due to climate change.
Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
AloJapan.com