10-foot tsunami waves possible in Hawaii after massive quake hits Russia’s far east

The US Coast Guard has told all commercial vessels to leave Hawaii ports and barred any incoming ships from entering them until tsunami advisories have lifted.

“All harbors in Hawaii have been closed to incoming vessel traffic. Vessels transiting within the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands or inbound to ports in Hawaii shall remain offshore until conditions subside,” a statement from the Coast Guard Oceania District said.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi speaks during an interview in Honolulu, on April 13, 2022.

The mayor of Hawaii’s capital Honolulu, Rick Blangiardi, urged residents to move to higher ground, speaking in an interview with CNN affiliate KITV.

“We need people to stay calm but also to act accordingly. If you can get to higher ground if you’re in a low-lying area, please do that,” Blangiardi said.

He said warning sirens have been blaring to alert residents to evacuate and urged caution on the roads amid “bumper-to-bumper traffic” during evacuations.

“Everything that we’re doing is precautionary,” he stressed. “We don’t want to create undo panic, we want everyone to stay calm. We’re trying to act as much in advance as we possibly can to give people sufficient warning and opportunity to get to higher ground.”

Travel disruptions are mounting along the US West Coast and in Hawaii amid tsunami warnings issued across the Pacific after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s east coast.

Flights to Honolulu are being disrupted, with diversions, delays and cancellations reported across affected airports, according to FlightRadar24.

Flights from various airlines that departed from Los Angeles, Vancouver, San Francisco and San Diego that were bound for Hawaii were turned back to their destination airports late Tuesday, tracking data shows.

Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines are holding departures to Hawaii, diverting some en route flights, and advising passengers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.

“We are holding flight departures to the Islands on Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. As a safety precaution, flights en route to Hawai‘i are returning to the mainland or diverting as needed,” both airlines said in a statement. “We are monitoring airport conditions with government agencies and could see operational impacts. A waiver is in place allowing guests to adjust their travel plans.”

People wait outside of Katase Enoshima station which is closed due to a tsunami warning in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday.

Tsunami conditions in Japan could last for at least a day, the country’s meteorological agency warned, as waves measuring up to 60 centimeters (2 feet) continue to hit the east coast.

“Based on observations of tsunamis from earthquakes of similar magnitude, we expect high tsunami conditions to continue for at least one day,” an agency spokesperson said Wednesday.

In its latest advisory, the agency also warned that tsunami waves can strike repeatedly, and that residents in affected areas shouldn’t leave their shelters until tsunami warnings or advisories are lifted.

So far, the waves that have been recorded along Japan’s east coast measure far lower than the initial forecast of 3 meters, though that could change.

Over 1.9 million people are under evacuation advisories in Japan.

The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off Russia’s eastern coast may not be as dangerous as the 2011 Fukushima 9.0 quake, an expert said, but widespread warnings and emergency preparedness are “certainly warranted.”

“These offshore earthquakes sometimes have a characteristic of directing their energy outward towards the ocean, as opposed to back towards the nearby land,” said Harold Tobin, a seismologist at the University of Washington.

“If that proves to be true for this event, then that will be a real win for everyone,” Tobin told CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout.

Tobin said that what will be seen in Hawaii in the upcoming hours “will be a test of what we might expect around the rest of the Pacific rim.”

“It could scale anywhere from really not any significant damage at all at long distances, to significant damage in areas that are right at coastal levels,” he said.

People leave the beachside area at Inage Seaside Park after much of coastal Japan went on tsunami alert on Wednesday.

More than 1.9 million people across Japan have been urged to move to safer ground, as tsunami waves hit various parts of the coast and transport is disrupted nationwide – though the waves remain much smaller than previously forecast.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has issued localised evacuation orders affecting 1,905,596 people across 21 prefectures, the largest numbers of evacuees coming from Hokkaido, Kanagawa and Wakayama prefectures.

The first waves hit Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, where video shared by Reuters and the Nippon News Network showed people taking shelter on a roof. Tsunami sirens could be heard blaring through parts of the island on Wednesday morning.

Tsunami waves measuring about 30 to 50 centimeters are being recorded along the east coast, inching closer to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, according to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. That’s far below the initial forecast of up to three meters, though that could change, and additional waves could follow.

Transport is also being disrupted, with Sendai international airport – on the Pacific coast, north of Tokyo – closing its runway. Ferries running from Hokkaido, Aomori, and Tokyo Bay have also been suspended.

There are currently no issues at the Fukushima nuclear plant, located just below Sendai, where the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused a severe nuclear accident.

The state-owned Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which oversees the plant, said on Wednesday it had evacuated all personnel to higher ground, with no injuries reported, and no abnormalities at the plant.

A number of South American countries issued tsunami alerts Tuesday night, after the earthquake that struck Russia’s east coast.

In Chile, the National Tsunami Alarm System said there’s a tsunami threat for all the country’s coastline. Peru’s navy has said it is monitoring the situation closely.

Ecuador’s Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute said the Galapagos Islands – a major center of biodiversity and wildlife found nowhere else – could see a wave measuring 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) by 9 a.m. local time.

The Integrated Tsunami Alert System of Mexico and Central America also issued a tsunami alert that stretches from Ensenada, on the northwest coast of Mexico, to the Central American country of Panama.

Rapidly surging waves swept a coastal town in Russia’s far east Wednesday morning, according to video geolocated by CNN.

Waves can be seen flowing between buildings, and at least one of the structures was moved by the water in Severo-Kurilsk, in Sakhalin oblast, on the Northern Kuril Islands.

Storage containers and large debris were also swept away, the video showed.

In separate drone footage, fast-moving waves appeared to have damaged industrial infrastructure at Severo-Kurilsk district.

Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko said in a Telegram post that the first tsunami wave has hit the region’s coast.

Three tsunami waves struck the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the last one being the most powerful, Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS reported.

Nearly 300 people were evacuated from the port, but no one needed medical assistance so far, regional emergency services told state-run RIA News.

The quake damaged buildings and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which also had power outages and mobile phone service failures, Reuters reported.

A Tsunami warning sign is shown on the Pacific Coast Highway along side the Pacific Ocean in Encinitas, California, on July 29.

The National Tsunami Warning Center has upgraded a tsunami advisory to a tsunami warning for the Northern California coast from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon/California border, including Crescent City.

Waves of 2 to 5 feet are possible in the warning area, with the first waves expected to arrive around 11:50 p.m. PT Tuesday.

The rest of the California coast remains under a tsunami advisory with lower wave heights expected, generally under 1 foot, but strong currents and dangerous coastal conditions are still likely.

Crescent City is particularly vulnerable – it was devastated in 1964 when a tsunami generated by a 9.2-magnitude Alaska earthquake killed at least 10 people and caused millions in damage.

The California Office of Emergency Services said it is working closely with the National Tsunami Warning Center, the National Weather Service, and local emergency managers to assess the impacts.”

“Residents in coastal areas are urged to stay alert, follow instructions from local officials, and monitor trusted sources for the latest information,” the office said in a statement.

The US Coast Guard has already closed all major ports ahead of the incoming tsunami, said Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan, Adjunct General of Hawaii’s Department of Defense.

The general said Tuesday that he’s been in touch with the chief of the National Guard and that troops are ready to assist in the upcoming hours if necessary.

Two helicopters used for medical evacuations have been deployed, while other large cargo helicopters and the air national guard are on standby, Logan said.

Logan also added that National Guard troops and soldiers on all counties of Hawaii are on standby.

Commercial flights at Hilo International Airport have been suspended to support emergency evacuations from nearby areas, including Keaukaha, as Hawaii braces for a tsunami, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

The first wave is expected to arrive at 7:17 p.m. local time, according to emergency officials.

In Kauai, authorities are asking the public to avoid traveling into Hanalei to keep roads clear for those evacuating.

The tsunami warning in effect for Hawaii says that tsunami waves reaching more than 3 meters (10 feet) above normal tide level are possible for some coasts of the Northern Hawaiian Islands, starting in the next couple hours.

The Northern Hawaiian Islands join Russia and Ecuador in the latest highest forecasted tsunami threat according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

This comes even as the observed tsunami so far in northern Japan has only reached about 1 to 1.5 feet in height, significantly lower than the 10 feet that were initially predicted there.

So why would the tsunami waves be expected to reach higher in Hawaii and Ecuador, located more than 3,000 miles and 8,000 miles away from the earthquake’s epicenter, than in Japan, which is located less than 1,000 miles away?

It has to do with the direction that the water was displaced, or pushed, by the earthquake under the ocean near the Russian coast. Tsunamis push out primarily in one direction, depending on how the fault line ruptures. It will spread out as it travels through the basin, but the highest energy remains in the direction of the rupture.

Seismologists are piecing together information based on the water levels they have seen so far have determined that the direction of the highest energy is toward Hawaii and then parts of South America.

The north and northwest facing shores of the Northern Hawaiian Islands will see the first waves around 7:17 p.m. HST (1:17 a.m. ET), and those shores should also see the highest waves in Hawaii. The rest of Hawaii is expecting waves up to 1 to 3 meters (3 to 9 feet) above normal tide level.

A Disney resort on Hawaii’s Oahu Island warned guests to move out of the hotel’s first two floors ahead of possible destructive tsunami waves.

More floors may also be evacuated “as we get additional information,” the post said.

CNN has reached out to the resort for more information about its tsunami response.

The resort is located “on the beautiful beaches of Ko Olina on the leeward coast of Oahu,” according to its website. It’s about an hour’s drive from Honolulu’s international airport.

Waves of more than 3 meters (about 10 feet) above normal levels are possible along coastal areas of Ecuador and Russia, the US Tsunami Warning Centers said.

Surges higher than normal are also possible along other coastal areas of South America, the Pacific islands and Asia, it said.

It’s still too early to say how damaging any tsunami waves may be, or how many countries might be affected, as nations along the Pacific prepare for potential impact. But the first places to be hit have started to report waves that appear less severe than initially forecast.

Waves between 1 and 3 meters (3-9 feet) are possible along some coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Japan and other islands and island groups in the Pacific, the US Tsunami Warning Centers said.

Elsewhere, waves of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) may occur in Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga, and Taiwan.

Waves less than 0.3 meters (barely a foot) above the tide were possible on the coasts of Brunei, China, North Korea, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam.

The center described these potential wave conditions as “hazardous.”

A public safety alert received by residents of Los Angeles County on Tuesday night.

Residents in Los Angeles received a public safety alert notifying them of a tsunami advisory for beaches, ports, and low lying areas near the coast of Los Angeles County starting around 1 a.m. local time.

“Strong currents and dangerous waves expected in or near coastal waters. This could be life threatening,” the alert from LA County emergency management officials said.

“STAY OUT OF WATER, AWAY FROM BEACHES AND WATERWAYS.”

With less than two hours until the tsunami is expected to reach across Hawaii’s islands, Gov. Josh Green, in a news conference, urged residents to evacuate coastal zones “right away.”

“You need to expect that there will be flooding on the islands and it will be imminent after the wave hits.”

Hawaii is currently under a tsunami warning, with waves expected to hit at approximately 7:10 p.m. local time.

“It will not hit one beach, it will wrap around the islands,” Green said, adding, “If we’re calm, we’re going to be fine.”

Emergency Operation Centers across the state are prepared to operate continuously, Green said. “Everyone is prepared, everyone is ready for what’s to come.”

Heavy traffic can be seen on Interstate H-1 in Hawaii’s capital Honolulu after authorities warned people to evacuate from coastlines following tsunami alerts.

Honolulu resident Adam Jung loads water and other supplies into his vehicle after authorities warned residents of the possibility of destructive tsunami waves, following an earthquake which earlier struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. July 29, 2025.

Laura Buchtel, a meteorologist vacationing in Maui, Hawaii, described growing alarm early Tuesday morning as tsunami alerts sounded between 1:30 and 2 a.m. local time.

“Everybody was starting to really kind of panic at that point — even some of the staff at our resort,” Buchtel told CNN’s Laura Coates. “This is not a drill. This is the real thing.”

Buchtel and others quickly packed their belongings and took to the roads, but traffic came to a standstill. “The roads are crazy jammed right now,” she said. “It’s kind of one road in. It was gridlock.”

Officials are urging people to move inland and seek higher ground, warning of potential waves between 1 and 3 meters (about 3-9 feet).

“I’m hoping that’s inflated. I’m hoping it’s not that much,” Buchtel said, adding that locals and tourists alike appear to be taking the warnings seriously, with many fueling up at gas stations and heading away from the shoreline.

As a New Orleans native, Buchtel noted how unfamiliar the terrain feels.

“We have no mountains,” she said. “If you start going away from resorts, you start to get elevation pretty quickly. … We’re trying to get away from the beach, away from where the water is.”

The first wave is expected shortly after 7 p.m. local time, giving residents and visitors several hours to evacuate. Buchtel headed to the airport, uncertain of what lay ahead as Maui prepared for impact.

CNN’s Allison Chincar explains what potential tsunami waves from the massive earthquake off the coast of Russia could look like.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green is holding a press conference to discuss the tsunami alerts issued for the state and evacuation warnings.

We’ll bring you the details as we get them.

Vehicles depart Waikiki beach after an 8.8 earthquake off of Russia's far east prompted tsunami alerts in Oahu, Hawaii.

Hotels along the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island are evacuating guests because a tsunami warning is in place for all of the state’s islands.

The Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, a Mariott hotel on the coast of Kailua Bay, is now closed and is evacuating all guests to the Kealakehe High School, which sits farther inland to the north, a spokesperson for the hotel told CNN.

The spokesperson declined to say how many guests are currently staying at the hotel or provide a timeframe for how long it will take to evacuate everyone. Guests are being taken to the school on school buses in coordination with local authorities.

The drive to from the hotel to the high school normally takes about 15 minutes, but it may take longer because of heavy traffic, according to the spokesperson, who said all other hotels on Ali’i Dr. are also evacuating their guests.

Nations in and around the Pacific Ocean are bracing for potential tsunamis, with some already reporting the first waves hitting their coasts, after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s east coast.

It is the strongest tremor on the planet since 2011, when a 9.0 megaquake struck northeastern Japan — and is tied for the sixth-strongest quake ever recorded.

It’s not yet clear how many countries may be affected, or how strong tsunami waves may be. Here are the estimated arrival times from the US tsunami warning centers.

Here’s what we know:

Want to know the difference between a watch and a warning? Read our info on that here.

Here are the latest tsunami warnings and advisories for the US and Canada, according to the National Weather Service.

You can read more on the difference between a warning and an advisory here.

Tsunami warnings are in effect for:

Tsunami advisories are in effect for:

There is no tsunami threat for other areas of the US and Canadian Pacific coasts.

Tsunami advisories, watches and warnings have been issued on coasts across the world after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s eastern coast Wednesday.

Here’s the difference between an advisory, watch and warning and what you should do when one is issued, according to the National Weather Service:

Tsunami watch: A distant tsunami is possible when the NWS issues a tsunami watch. The weather service says that there is a risk of “hazardous weather” when a watch is in place, but that certain factors like the weather event’s location and its timing is still unclear. They are issued to provide those in potentially affected areas enough time to establish a plan if the weather develops. People under a tsunami watch are advised by the NWS to “stay tuned for information” and to “be prepared to take action if necessary.”

Tsunami advisory: An advisory is not “better than a watch.” It’s like a warning, but less severe. If the NWS issues a tsunami advisory, it means hazardous weather event is already taking place or likely to occur. An advisory alerts those who are in or very near water that there is potential for strong currents or dangerous waves. Flooding of beach or harbor areas is also possible under advisories. The NWS recommends to stay out of water and away from beaches and water ways when an advisory is in effect.

Tsunami warning: The NWS warns of “dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents possible” when an area is under a tsunami warning. The weather service issues them when “hazardous weather” is already happening or is likely to start, and when the weather threatens life or property. Those under tsunami warnings should relocate to higher ground or further inland, according to the NWS.

National Weather Service offices across California are warning residents to abide by one rule during the tsunami advisory: Stay away from the water.

“People on land should avoid harbors & marinas, get off and away from the beach,” the NWS Los Angeles office warned.

The NWS Bay Area office shared a similar message, saying: “Stay away from the water! Stay away from beaches and waterways! Remain away from shore until local officials say that it is OK to return.”

NWS Eureka, which serves the most northern portion of the state, said multiple waves are expected “lasting for 10-36 hours.”

“Move off the beach and out of harbors/marinas,” the office wrote on X.

Waterways connected to the ocean are also at risk of flooding, like the 1964 flooding in Crescent City, California, which killed 11 people and caused millions of dollars in damage.

An aerial photo shows white waves crashing onto the Kujukuri Coast in Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture on Monday after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.8 struck off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east.

It’s still too early to say how damaging any tsunami waves may be, or how many countries might be affected as nations along the Pacific prepare for potential impact.

But the first places to be hit have started to report waves that appear less severe than initially forecast.

Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido was one of the first places to report tsunami waves, along with parts of Russia.

So far, the waves have measured about 30 to 40 cm (1 to 1.3 feet) – less than the initial forecast of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet).

But it’s difficult to say what that may mean for other places, as the scale of waves may differ between locations. And, as Japanese authorities have warned, sometimes second or third waves are larger than the first.

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Downey, California, on July 16.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the tsunami advisory following the earthquake of Russia’s coast, his press office posted on X.

California’s Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local officials in coastal communities, the post said. CNN has reached out to learn more about these preparations.

A tidal rise of 1 foot was observed by the volcanic island of Amchitka, Alaska, at around 5:14 p.m. Pacific Time — the only tsunami observation in the US so far.

The powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off Russia’s remote far eastern coast on is tied for the sixth-strongest quake ever recorded.

It ranks alongside the devastating 2010 Chile earthquake, which killed over 500 people and caused major destruction, and a 1906 earthquake in Ecuador and Colombia, which triggered a tsunami that claimed up to 1,500 lives.

Oahu’s Department of Emergency Management issued an alert warning residents on the island, which includes Honolulu, to evacuate to higher ground or go to “the 4th floor or above in a building at least 10 stories.”

In a post on X, the department said “destructive tsunami waves are expected” and refuge areas are available.

Hawaii’s Department of Transportation also issued a traffic update on X, outlining all the islands’ highways and roadways that have either been shut or are ready for evacuation.

The US Army and US Navy have opened up Honolulu’s Kolekole Pass for emergency use, the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam wrote on Facebook.

“Motorists looking to evacuate the coast will need to transit immediately through the pass entering Schofield Barracks, continuing through the Army base, then on to Kunia Road.”

Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles, California, on February 7, 2023.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she has been briefed on the tsunami advisory in effect for the LA region.

Her team is in touch with coastal leaders and the Port of Los Angeles for overnight preparations, she said on X.

Los Angeles residents can sign up for emergency notifications here.

Huntington Beach, a city in southern California, has closed all beaches, harbors and their pier “out of caution,” the city’s fire department posted on X.

There are no evacuation orders, but the fire department warned to avoid the coast and stay out of the water.

Huntington Beach is about 40 miles south of Los Angeles.

The first tsunami waves have hit the coasts of Russia and Japan, and have been detected by ocean buoys of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Valery Limarenko, the governor of Russia’s Sakhalin oblast, wrote on Telegram: “The first tsunami wave has struck the coastal zone of Severo-Kurilsk. Residents of the settlement remain safe on higher ground until the threat of additional waves is fully lifted.”

The town of Severo-Kurilsk sits on the southern tip of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, a remote part of the country that is sparsely populated – where the epicenter of the earthquake is located.

Meanwhile in Japan, a 30-centimeter tsunami wave has reached Nemuro Hanasaki, in the country’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, according to the national Meteorological Agency.

The United States’ Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has also observed its first tsunami wave – with a buoy measuring 0.9 meters (3 feet) of ocean rise.