Powerful earthquakes rock Russian coast, trigger brief tsunami watch for Hawaii
The strongest quake, magnitude 7.4, struck near the coast of the Kamchatka region at about 2:50 a.m. ET, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Four of quakes and aftershocks reached 6.0 or higher.
A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii minutes after the quakes began rolling. Watches were issued for Russia's Kuril Islands; they were canceled hours later.
The Geological Survey reported the largest quake, at a depth of over 12 miles, was centered about 90 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, home to about 180,000 people. State-run Russian media outlets said there were no reports of casualties or damage.
The watch was issued four days after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Alaska Peninsula, briefly triggering a tsunami warning for the state's southern coast. Residents of several communities were ordered to move inland to higher ground. Hours later the watch was canceled.
Tsunami advisory canceled after magnitude 7.3 earthquake recorded off Alaska coast
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Big Island of Hawaii August 2024, but no tsunami watch was issued.
A tsunami watch occurs after any earthquake that risks generating a tsunami. A watch is upgraded to a tsunami advisory if the potential tsunami could cause dangerous currents or waves but would likely not cause widespread damage.
A tsunami warningis issued if forecasters believe the tsunami may cause widespread, dangerous flooding and powerful currents that may continue for several hours or days.
Earthquake shakes Hawaii's Big Island as storms loom in the Pacific
What is a tsunami?
A tsunami is a series of extremely long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of ocean waters, usually the result of an earthquake below or near the ocean floor. The force creates waves that radiate outward in all directions away from their source, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins, according to a description from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Unlike wind-driven waves, which only travel through the topmost layer of the ocean, tsunamis move through the entire water column, from the ocean floor to the ocean surface.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
2 days ago
- CNBC
The 10 worst U.S. states to retire—6 are in the South
There are a number of factors to take into consideration when choosing where you want to retire, including the lifestyle you want and your financial situation. In addition to looking for options that meet most of your needs, you'll want to consider any major downsides or trade-offs you'd have to make, such as a lack of accessible health care or a high cost of living. Financial services website Bankrate recently ranked all 50 states based on 15 metrics, including affordability, health care and weather, to determine the best and worst places to retire in the U.S. The study used data from a variety of sources, including the Council for Community and Economic Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The metrics were weighed according to survey responses gathered by Bankrate in May 2025 on what Americans say are their top priorities for choosing a retirement destination. As a result, affordability, weather and neighborhood safety influenced overall scores the most. Here are the 10 worst states to retire, according to Bankrate, where you may have to compromise when it comes to cost, safety and access to health care: Weather also played a significant role in landing several of these states at the bottom of the overall rankings. Louisiana ranked No. 39 for weather and Texas came in at No. 47 in that category. "Natural disasters really degraded the scores of almost every state across the Gulf. Texas, Florida — even states that you really think about as primary retirement destinations," Stephen Kates, a certified financial planner and Bankrate financial analyst, tells CNBC Make It. "They didn't do as well in the weather category because of their propensity to have hurricanes and other natural disasters." It can be helpful to consider these rankings and the metrics used to determine them, but ultimately, the best place for you to retire will depend on your personal preferences. Retiring in Louisiana or Oklahoma may look challenging based on these metrics, for example, but if that's where your family lives and you want to be close to them, it may be worth planning ahead and figuring out how to live well there, despite potential drawbacks. If living in a tax-friendly state is important to you, Wyoming may be your best fit, Kates says. The state came in at No. 3 overall and No. 1 for tax-friendliness. But you'd be giving up other potential amenities. "You pay very little state taxes, but you have little access to some of the other things that you may want," he says. "Wyoming is not great for arts and entertainment — it's a big, more rural place." Conditions can also vary greatly within a given state when it comes to metrics like neighborhood safety. State-level data can be a good place to start, but you may need to dig deeper or visit in person to determine if an area is right for you, especially if you're considering a big state like California or Texas, Kates says. "Where you live in California or Texas or Florida, or any state, is going to matter because we're aggregating a lot of data," he says. "If you live in Los Angeles, it's going to be very different than if you live in Sacramento or La Jolla; if you live in Dallas, very different [than] Houston." You may choose not to relocate in retirement, or prefer to wait until later on to make a move. As people live longer than they used to and thus may be retired longer, it's wise to think about your retirement in phases, Kates says. "It's a lot more than just putting a pin on the map and saying, 'This is the place,'" he says. "If you're going to live in retirement for 25 or 30 years, there's going to be phases of that. And how you figure that out is extremely relevant." If you want to dedicate time to traveling in your early retirement years, it may not make sense to also try to move your home base during that period. But a decade or so later, you may be more interested in settling down somewhere new. Kates calls these the "go, low-go and no-go" phases of retirement, alluding to idea that as you get older, you'll likely want or need to slow down.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
How ‘corn sweat' is driving up humidity across the US - and yes, even New England
Advertisement This week's heat dome, which has blanketed the eastern half of the US and the Midwest with intensely hot temperatures by trapping warm air near the surface, was compounded by the presence of corn sweat in the atmosphere. The rotation of this high-pressure system has been driving a southwesterly flow toward New England, picking up that added moisture or corn sweat from the Midwest, and with the help of the west-to-east flow of the jet stream, has been funneling more humidity our way. That moisture-laden air has been pushing up heat index values, making it feel a lot hotter. Take a look at the extra water vapor moving into New England through Friday, amplified by the additional corn sweat from the Corn Belt. Advertisement The progression of additional water vapor pushing over New England, boosted by excessive "corn sweat" from the Midwest. Pivotal Weather Friday's temperatures in New England are Andy Vanloocke, associate professor of agriculture and meteorology at Iowa State University, says the corn plants act like straws between the soil, water, and the atmosphere. 'The water that's evaporating over Iowa right now, a significant portion of it, depending on the weather patterns, 70 to 80 percent will fall again before it exits the Mississippi River Basin,' Vanloocke says. 'But some of it will make its way all the way to Boston before eventually falling out. It may even cycle a few times between the land and the atmosphere on its way over there. 'If you're having a hard time believing that, just think about the amount of smoke you get from a wildfire blowing through thousands of miles,' he says. Corn is the most abundantly produced crop in the United States, and the plant releases water vapor into the atmosphere at one of the fastest rates among all plants. A single acre of corn can add about 4,000 gallons of water per day into the atmosphere, amplifying the moisture content and increasing dew point and humidity, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And, basically, the higher the temperature is, the more moisture the corn will draw from the ground and release, or transpire, into the atmosphere. Advertisement 'When you have a warm atmosphere with a lot of demand for that water, that leaf area is going to generate a lot of water vapor for the atmosphere,' Vanloocke says. Many experts believe this corn sweat effect has expanded from a rather local event to a more expansive phenomenon due to climate change. Most corn production is located across the Midwest, Plains, and Ohio Valley. USDA Besides corn, Vanloocke said, soybeans are just as prevalent and equally efficient at evapotranspiration. 'We should call it soy sweat as much as we call it corn sweat,' he said. 'There are about as many corn acres as soybean acres out here in the Corn Belt… and soybean uses just about as much water on a day-to-day basis as corn does.' Ken Mahan can be reached at
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Upgraded Northern Lights Alert: 14 States May See Aurora This Weekend
The aurora borealis or northern lights in the night sky over Shiprock, New Mexico. Days after the Northern Lights were glimpsed from northern U.S states — including Idaho, New Hampshire, Michigan and even Massachusetts — displays may be visible once again on Saturday night (July 26-27), according to a forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center. Although astronomical darkness is in short supply at northerly latitudes, sky-watchers in 14 U.S. states may have a chance to see the aurora borealis on the northern horizon during the night into Sunday morning. Northern Lights Tonight: Latest Forecast The agency's new three-day forecast indicates a minor geomagnetic storm, measured at a value of up to G1 on a scale of G1 to G5. According to NOAA's forecast, the Kp index — which provides a rough guide to the intensity of aurora displays — may reach 5 around 09:00-12:00 UTC (4:00 a.m. through 7:00 a.m. EDT). However, there is also a possibility that the geomagnetic storm could be a stronger G2 event. In a discussion post, NOAA officials stated that a G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm is likely on July 27 'with a chance for isolated G2 (Moderate) periods due to CME effects from an event that left the Sun on 23 July.' According to the cause is a coronal mass ejection — a clump of charged particles ejected by the sun on July 23 — which is expected to interact with Earth's atmosphere. NASA's WSA-Enlil model has the CME striking Earth. Northern Lights Tonight: Where Aurora May Be Visible Keep an eye on NOAA's latest aurora viewline for an indication of exactly where aurora displays will potentially be seen from, but it will likely include parts of 14 northern U.S. states, and Canada, on July 26/27. U.S. states that may see aurora include (northerly parts of) Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Areas far from light pollution are likely to offer the best views. Check NOAA's 30-minute forecast or use the Glendale App for the latest forecasts and real-time information on substorms. Northern Lights Tonight: Why Aurora Are Being Seen So Far South The aurora borealis is being seen at more southerly latitudes than usual due to an increase in solar activity. Magnetic activity on the sun is currently at a 23-year high because it's reached solar maximum — the height of our star's 11-year solar cycle. Having possibly peaked in late 2024, the sun may now be quietening down, but solar maximum periods often have double peaks. It's also known that some of the best aurora displays can happen in the two years post-solar maximum. Decent aurora sightings in the U.S. are thus expected through 2026 and 2027. Northern Lights Tonight: Best Places And Times To See The Aurora The best places to see the Northern Lights are those at about 65 degrees north latitude between September and March (when there is sufficient hours of darkness). This is where the auroral oval sits, making northern Norway, northern Sweden, northern Finland, Iceland, Alaska and northern Canada reliable places for aurora sightings when skies are clear. Northern Lights Tonight: Aurora Explained The Northern Lights are caused by disturbances in Earth's magnetic field created by the solar wind. As charged particles accelerate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, exciting them. That causes a photon of light to be released. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
