The entire U.S. West Coast was facing a tsunami threat after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake erupted off Russia's eastern coast on Tuesday.
A tsunami warning was issued in Hawaii, Northern California and in Alaska, prompting thousands to evacuate to higher ground.
People were also been warned to remain off beaches from Southern California to southern Alaska due to potential impacts.
The National Weather Service's Los Angeles Office is advising Californians Wednesday to “stay out of the water and harbors as currents will be strong."
The agency said a Tsunami Advisory remains in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Earlier, the Port San Luis water level gauge showed a “rapid and damaging surge, going from low to high tide in just a few minutes,” according to the office.
The threat of a major tsunami hitting the United States following a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia “has passed completely,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday.
“We’re in really good shape right now. We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary, but grateful that we didn’t have to deal with the situation that this could have been,” Noem told reporters during a visit to Santiago, Chile.
Earlier in the day, a 5.7-foot wave was reported in Kahului, Hawaii and a 4.9-foot wave amplitude was reported in nearby Hilo, according to FOX Weather.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia’s Far East is erupting Wednesday following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in the region, reports said.
"A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions,” Reuters cited the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service as saying.
The volcano, which last erupted in 2023, stands at 15,584 feet in the east of Russia’s Kamchatka region.
Scientists have anticipated an eruption, with the volcano’s crater filling with lava for several weeks and the mountain spitting out plumes of ash.
Sometimes described as the “land of fire and ice,” Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. It has about 300 volcanoes, of which 29 are active, according to NASA Earth Observatory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A woman reportedly died in Japan while evacuating from the tsunami.
The 58-year-old was killed when the car she was traveling in fell off a cliff in central Japan’s Mie prefecture, Reuters reported, citing Asahi TV.
Workers in Japan also fled from the Fukushima nuclear plant, where a meltdown occurred in 2011 following a tsunami there, according to Reuters.
However, the news agency reported Wednesday that there were no irregularities at any of Japan’s nuclear plants.
Oahu residents evacuate Ewa Beach to the side of Kunia Road due to the threat of tsunami in Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP/Michelle Bir)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that after speaking with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, “the evacuation order has been lifted for coastal inundation zones.
“Please be careful be careful when returning and watch out for damage. We will continue to monitor in Hawaii, Alaska, and California,” she added.
As of around 5 a.m. local time, a small portion of Northern California that borders Oregon remains under a tsunami warning.
“If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground,” the National Weather Service said. “The tsunami warning will remain in effect until further notice.”
This image shows the aftermath of a tsunami hitting the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk in the Kuril Islands of Russia on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences via AP)
Reports of damage and minor injuries are emerging out of Russia following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunami.
Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital patient received an injury while jumping out of a window. Melnikov said that all injured people were in satisfactory condition.
Russian authorities declared a state of emergency on the Kuril Islands and in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the main city on the Kamchatka peninsula.
They earlier reported that several tsunami waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. Russia's Oceanography Institute said tsunami waves that hit the city topped 19 feet.
Severo-Kurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the city was flooded by four tsunami waves, which washed fishing boats into the sea, but no major damage was recorded in the city.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital, the quake damaged a local kindergarten, which was not in operation due to ongoing repair work.
Read more:
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/us-west-coast-hawaii-and-alaska-impacted-by-tsunami-alerts-after-massive-quake-off-russia
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