Tsunami Warning In Effect for all of Hawaii; Tsunami Advisory in Effect for Entire West Coast of U.S./Canada

Emergency cell phone messages like these, emergency sirens, and emergency broadcasts are ringing across Hawaii where a Tsunami Warning is in effect island-wide. Image: weatherboy.com

According to USGS, a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck about 80 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia; this in turn has created a significant tsunami threat across much of the Pacific. Due to threats posed to North America, the Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami Warning for all of Hawaii and western Alaska from Attu to Samalga Pass. A Tsunami Watch has been upgraded to a Tsunami Advisory for the rest of Alaska, the entire west coast of Canada, and the entire west coast of the United States. There are no tsunami advisories in effect for Mexico at this time but a tsunami threat exists there and elsewhere around the Pacific.

Evacuations are underway across the coastal areas of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. In the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, where much of the Hawaiian population resides, people have been asked to evacuate up to the 4th floor or higher in high rises along the coastline. Emergency shelters have opened up across the islands for people to escape the tsunami threat. The Tsunami Warning Center believes the tsunami could first impact Hawaii around 7:17 pm local time which is 1:17 am Eastern Time.

People along the coast of Oregon, Washington, and California are also being urged to get away from the coastline, including the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

The most severe impacts from this tsunami threat are expected in western Alaska and statewide across Hawaii which is why the Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami Warning there.

Today's massive earthquake is among the top 10 strongest ever recorded on Earth. The primary quake and subsequent major aftershocks appear as a cluster of red dots inside the colored concentric circles across the Pacific. Image: USGS — Today’s massive earthquake is among the top 10 strongest ever recorded on Earth. The primary quake and subsequent major aftershocks appear as a cluster of red dots inside the colored concentric circles across the Pacific. Image: USGS

A tsunami is a series of long ocean waves. Each individual wave crest can last 5-15 minutes or more and extensively flood coastal areas. The danger can continue for many hours after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive. Tsunami heights cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the largest.

Tsunami waves efficiently wrap around islands. According to the Tsunami Warning Center, all shores are at risk no matter which direction they face. The trough of a tsunami wave may temporarily expose the seafloor but the area will quickly flood again. Extremely strong and unusual nearshore currents can accompany a tsunami. Debris picked up and carried by a tsunami amplifies its destructive power. Simultaneous high tides or high surf can significantly increase the tsunami hazard.

For Hawaii, the tsunami is expected to coincide with high tide which could make matters worse.

President Donald Trump took to social media to get the word out about the emergency. On X and elsewhere, President Trump wrote, “Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”