Latest news with #USTsunamiWarningSystem
Daily Record
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
When was the last time a tsunami hit US as 8.7-magnitude earthquake triggers warnings?
Hawaii residents have been evacuated from homes in coastal areas due to fears of a tsunami, while there is also concern for locations such as San Francisco in the US We often equate tsunamis with southeast Asia and countries across the Indian Ocean. But to hear that significant waves are approaching parts of the iconic US west coast may be surprising, albeit equally as alarming. On Wednesday morning, July 30, a tsunami struck the coastal regions of Russia and Japan following an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, prompting alerts across America's west coast. Two million individuals have been evacuated throughout Japan, with warnings in place for other parts of the country's east coast and the entire US west coast after the quake - the strongest recorded globally since 2011. The National Tsunami Warning Centre, based in Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands and a watch for sections of the west coast, including California, Oregon and Washington, as well as Hawaii. Well, it wasn't long ago that huge waves charged towards the US coastline. On July 29, 2021, a 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit southeast Perryville, Alaska, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. Striking the south of the Alaska Peninsula at 06:15am local time, the earthquake sparked a "small tsunami" but one that was still the largest in the US since the February 1965 earthquake in a similar spot. The year before, the 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake, was 9.2 in magnitude. The ensuing tsunami caused 139 deaths and $400 million in property loss. The 2021 earthquake was very close to two other major Alaska earthquake sites - approximately 62 km from the July 2020 7.8-magnitutde earthquake and 145 km from the October 2020 7.6-magnitude earthquake. The tsunami was seen at Alaskan, Hawaiian, and US West Coast tide gauge stations. Before that, a huge line of severe thunderstorms raced through parts of the northeast on May 15, 2018, as per the US Tsunami Warning System. The storm system stretched 470 miles from western Pennsylvania to southern New England to Maryland and persisted over approximately eight hours, beginning around midday and continuing through early evening. The powerful storm caused extensive wind damage, hail, and also produced nine tornadoes in Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. As the storm moved across Connecticut and Long Island, waves were observed locally on the tide gauges in Long Island Sound. The storm also generated a small meteotsunami off the Long Island/New Jersey coastline, a large wave, similar to a tsunami, but caused by weather disturbances rather than seismic activity like earthquakes. The storm then moved south across Maryland and Southern New Jersey with waves spotted on the tide gauges in Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the US. Alaska may be baring the brunt of the elements again, but Hawaii will not be immune to some impact, either. On Wednesday, waves less than 30 centimetres above tide levels were seen in the Alaskan communities of Amchitka and Adak, according to Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also warned that surges of one to three metres above normal tide levels could affect certain coastal regions of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the warning stated.
India Today
30-07-2025
- Climate
- India Today
Which countries face tsunami risk after Russia's 8.7 magnitude earthquake?
Immediate tsunami warnings across the Pacific region. According to the US Tsunami Warning System, several countries could be affected by the giant waves, with some already reporting wave have already reached parts of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's northern Hokkaido island. Authorities across the region are warning residents in coastal areas to stay away from beaches and move to higher COUNTRIES ARE MOST AT RISK? FULL LIST RELEASEDThe US tsunami warning system has released a detailed list showing which regions may experience tsunami waves. The impact is divided by wave height:WAVES OVER 3 METERS (10 FEET) POSSIBLE:RussiaEcuadorNorthwestern Hawaiian IslandsWAVES BETWEEN 1 AND 3 METERS POSSIBLE:ChileCosta RicaFrench PolynesiaGuamHawaiiJapanJarvis IslandJohnston AtollKiribatiMidway IslandPalmyra IslandPeruSamoaSolomon IslandsWAVES BETWEEN 0.3 TO 1 METER POSSIBLE:AntarcticaAustraliaChuuk (Micronesia)ColombiaCook IslandsEl SalvadorFijiGuatemalaHowland and Baker IslandsIndonesiaKermadec IslandsKosraeMarshall IslandsMexicoNauruNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNiueNorthern Mariana IslandsPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPohnpeiTaiwanTokelauTongaTuvaluVanuatuWake IslandWallis and FutunaAmerican SamoaYapWAVES LESS THAN 0.3 METERS POSSIBLE (MINOR DISTURBANCE):BruneiChinaNorth KoreaMalaysiaSouth KoreaVietnamNEW ZEALAND ISSUES PUBLIC WARNINGNew Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has asked the public to stay alert. While no large waves are expected, strong and unusual sea currents could be dangerous.'Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people. "There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore,' the agency are advised to stay out of the water, away from beaches, and avoid rivers and harbours until the warning is URGED TO STAY AWAY FROM COASTLINESEmergency agencies around the world are closely monitoring the situation. Residents in affected countries have been urged to:Stay away from beaches, harbours, and coastal areasMove to higher ground if advisedListen to official news and alertsAvoid spreading rumours on social mediaEven if tsunami waves are small, they can still be dangerous due to strong currents and unpredictable MONITORING CONTINUES AS SITUATION DEVELOPSTsunami waves travel fast across the ocean and may take hours to reach some countries. While some areas like Japan and Russia have already seen early waves, others like Chile, Hawaii, and the Philippines remain on watch. Experts say this event shows how quickly a natural disaster in one region can affect nations across the globe.- EndsMust Watch
Japan Forward
30-07-2025
- Japan Forward
Tsunami Sparks Evacuations in Japan After Kamchatka Tremor
On the morning of July 30, a powerful undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It unleashed tsunami waves up to four meters high and triggering widespread tsunami alerts across Japan's Pacific coastline. The quake, estimated at magnitude 8.7, is the most powerful recorded in the region in over 70 years. According to Russia's TASS news agency, Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov called it "the most severe and intense earthquake in decades." The tremor caused a surge in emergency calls, widespread power outages, and significant damage to buildings, including hospitals and kindergartens. In response, the Russian government has set up an emergency command center to coordinate relief efforts and assess the full scope of the destruction. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) located the epicenter 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a shallow depth of 20.7 kilometers. In response, the US Tsunami Warning System issued alerts for not only Russia and Japan but also as far as Alaska and Hawaii. Footage and photos circulated by Russian media captured the scale of the disaster. In Severo-Kurilsk, a town on Paramushir Island in the Kuril chain, tsunami waves were seen inundating coastal areas. One widely shared image showed a factory being swallowed by the sea, while another depicted a kindergarten in Kamchatka damaged by the quake, footage released by the region's emergency minister. The tremor's effects rippled across to Japan. At 9:43 AM, shrill warning sirens pierced the air in Hakodate, Hokkaido, followed by repeated emergency broadcasts urging both residents and tourists to evacuate to higher ground. A local woman in her seventies, recalling how her uncle once crab-fished off Kamchatka, voiced her unease. "We can't let our guard down, not after what we learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake," she said. In response to the tsunami alert, all train services at JR Hakodate Station were suspended. Police officers were seen assisting stranded travelers, guiding them to nearby shelters. A police officer calls on stranded tourists to evacuate. July 30, Hakodate City, Hokkaido (©Sankei by Masamichi Kirihara). The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings spanning from Hokkaido to Wakayama Prefecture. Officials urged immediate evacuation, warning: "If you wait until you see the tsunami, it will be too late." Its website outlines the dangers clearly: Tsunami waves grow rapidly in height as they approach shallow coastal waters. They travel at extremely high speeds — far faster than a person can run. Multiple waves may strike, with later ones often larger than the first. Even a wave just 20–30 centimeters high has enough force to sweep people away. Coastal geography can cause localized surges in wave height. It may take hours for the largest wave to arrive. Tsunamis can continue to impact coastlines for over 12 hours. This is not the first time Kamchatka has unleashed such seismic force. On November 5, 1952, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck the region, but moment magnitude calculations (Mw) place it closer to 9.0, on par with the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. That event generated tsunami waves up to 18 meters in the Kuril Islands and reached as high as three meters along Japan's Miyagi Prefecture, inundating roughly 1,200 homes. Kamchatka remains one of the most seismically active zones in the world. In just the past decade, the region has experienced six earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher. Notably, just ten days before the July 30 quake, a magnitude 7.5 tremor rattled the same area, underscoring its volatile status along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The reawakening of such tectonic energy serves as a sobering reminder of the Pacific nations' shared vulnerability. As Japan's tsunami alert systems sprang into action once again, the memory of 2011 hung heavy in the air, proof that even across decades and oceans, the same fault lines continue to shape the fate of those who live near them. (Read related article in Japanese .) Author: The Sankei Shimbun
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Why are tsunami waves hitting Japan after Kamchatka earthquake smaller, but those barreling towards Hawaii, Ecuador nearly 10 feet high?
Tsunami waves have started to crash along the coast of Russia's far east and some islands and Japan following the world's sixth-most powerful earthquake on the Pacific Ocean seafloor in Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday. Hawaii in the US including the country's and Canada's western coast are also bracing for powerful waves as warnings and watches have been issued for many regions. The massive earthquake on July 30 measuring 8.8 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) had its epicenter nearly 74 miles (119 kilometers) southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The quake's depth was 20.7 kilometers, prompting the USGS to issue tsunami warnings. Even parts of South America including Ecuador have issued tsunami warnings for regions along the Pacific coast. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Operations Management CXO Design Thinking Project Management Technology Others Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Public Policy others PGDM Finance healthcare Management Data Science Product Management Degree Digital Marketing MBA Healthcare Leadership Data Science Cybersecurity MCA Skills you'll gain: Quality Management & Lean Six Sigma Analytical Tools Supply Chain Management & Strategies Service Operations Management Duration: 10 Months IIM Lucknow IIML Executive Programme in Strategic Operations Management & Supply Chain Analytics Starts on Jan 27, 2024 Get Details USGS warning says Hawaii could face tsunami waves more than 3 meters (10 feet) high along some of its eastern coasts. The region along with Russia's far east and Ecuador are likely to face the most ferocious tsunami waves even though the US state and the South American nation are several thousands of kilometers away from the earthquake epicenter. Also Read: Tsunami waves slam Japan's Hokkaido and Russia's Kuril Islands after massive 8.8 quake off Kamchatka; Hawaii, Alaska on high alert Japan's northern regions and Russia's Kuril Island were the first to be hit by tsunami waves after the quake. But the waves were enormous as expected. The waves which crashed into the above-mentioned regions were only about 1 to 1.5 feet high, even though the initial forecast was they would reach a height of up to 10 feet (3 meters). These regions are closest to the quake epicenter in Kamchatka Peninsula with Japan's northern islands just 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away. What US Tsunami Warning Syatem says? However, US Tsunami Warning System maintains that Hawaii and Ecuador will face much bigger tsunami waves. While Hawaii is more that 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) away from the epicenter, Ecuador lies 8,000 miles (12,800 km) away from Kamchatka Peninsula. Live Events So why are the tsunami waves hitting Japan smaller and those expected in Hawaii and Ecuador much higher? According to seismologists, the strength and height of a tsunami depends on the nature and direction of the earthquake. When an earthquake strikes under water on a sea or ocean floor, it displaces huge quantities of water resulting in a tsunami. The height and strength is directly dependent on the direction of the water displacement. Also Read: Massive earthquake of magnitude 8.8 strikes Russia's far east, biggest since 2011; details inside The tsunami waves are pushed in the direction of the fault line rupture due to the quake. So the strongest and highest tsunami waves move out in one direction. While the seismic waves travel in all directions and the waves rise across all the basins, the maximum energy is in the direction of the rupture. The Kamchatka earthquake released the maximum energy towards Hawaii and Ecuador. So, seismologists predict the highest tsunami waves will hit these regions even though they are several thousands of miles away from the quake. The first waves will reach Hawaii around 7:17 p.m. HST (1:17 a.m. ET). These are expected to be 10 feet (3 meters) high. Other coasts in Hawaii will also be hit by waves reaching up to 3 to 9 feet (1-3 meters). Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Mint
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Mint
In videos: Buildings shake, alarms ring as 8.8 magnitude Earthquake jolts Russia. Tsunami alert issued
A massive earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, setting off tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific, including Russia, Japan, and Alaska. The quake, among the strongest recorded in the region in decades, caused widespread tremors and panic but, so far, no reported casualties. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was located about 125 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, along Avacha Bay. The quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 19.3 km, amplifying its intensity. The USGS initially recorded the magnitude at 8.0 before upgrading it to a powerful 8.8. Videos circulating on social media captured the terrifying moments the quake hit. In one clip, furniture violently shakes inside a home, while another shows a building swaying with alarming force. One video even shows the exact moment the quake was detected by Russian seismic monitoring systems, an alarm going off as data appears in real-time. Officials reported damage to buildings, including a kindergarten, but confirmed there were no injuries as of the latest updates. Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov called it 'the most powerful quake the region has seen in decades.' The US Tsunami Warning System warned that 'hazardous tsunami waves' could impact coastal areas of Russia and Japan within hours. Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami alert, expecting waves up to 3 metres high along its Pacific coast between 10:00 am and 11:30 am local time. In response to the threat, evacuation orders were issued in Severo-Kurilsk, a small town south of the peninsula, according to Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko. Russia's emergency services reported a tsunami wave of up to 32 cm already reaching the coast in some areas. Tsunami watches were also put in place for parts of Alaska, Guam, and Micronesia as authorities monitored the situation closely. Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Wednesday's quake serves as a stark reminder of the geological volatility in the area. As assessments continue, authorities in the region remain on high alert for aftershocks and further tsunami activity.
