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Here’s where things stand on Wednesday 30 July 2025:
- Tsunami waves have hit parts of Russia, Japan and the United States after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
- The quake struck 136km (84 miles) east of the coastal city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
- Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami advisory for much of its east coast, warning of waves of up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) high.
- Tsunami warnings were also issued for Taiwan, the Philippines, Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, with advisories issued for much of the US West Coast.
‘All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave’
An expedition group from the Russian Geographical Society was on the island of Shumshu when tsunami waves swept away their tent camp.
“When the wave hit, all we could do was run to higher ground. It’s very difficult to do that in boots on slippery grass and in fog,” group member Vera Kostamo told Komsomolskaya Pravda, a Russian publication.
“All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave, and our belongings were scattered across the beach for hundreds of metres,” she said.
“We have no casualties. Everyone acted quickly, but we lost all our belongings.”
Tsunami warning lifted for Russia’s Far East region
Russia has become the latest country to lift a tsunami warning, after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off its coast had prompted evacuation orders in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
“Dear residents and visitors to the Kamchatka region, our colleagues from the State Emergency Situations Ministry have lifted the tsunami alert,” the region’s Emergencies Minister Sergei Lebedev said on social media.
Kremlin says no casualties after quake
We have some comments from Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson.
Speaking to reporters, Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia from the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Kamchatka in the country’s east.
The official credited solid building construction and the smooth working of alert systems for the lack of casualties.
Philippines scraps tsunami advisory
Authorities in the Philippines have cancelled a tsunami advisory put in place for a number of coastal communities.
In a statement, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology at the Department of Science and Technology said there had been no significant sea level disturbances or tsunami waves following the earthquake.
“Any effects due to minor sea level disturbances have largely passed,” it said, adding that it was cancelling the advisory it had issued earlier.
Footage shows rising waves, sound of warning sirens in Japan
Social media users and news outlets in Japan have captured the sound of sirens warning residents of the possibility of a tsunami, as well as the rise in the height of waves following the earthquake earlier today.
Colombia tells coastal residents to evacuate
Authorities in Colombia have issued a tsunami alert for the departments of Choco and Narino, as well as warnings for Cauca and Cauca Valley.
In a statement on Facebook, Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management urged residents to evacuate the beaches and low-lying areas on the coasts of Choco and Narino, telling them to head to higher ground and away from the coast.
Waves of up to 4 metres (13ft) expected in French Polynesia
Local authorities in French Polynesia are warning that waves of up to 4 metres (13 feet) are expected to hit the Marquesas Islands.
Waves ranging from “1.10 metres to 4 metres” (3.6 to 13ft) on the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas archipelago are expected overnight from about 1am local time (11:00 GMT), the High Commission of the French Republic in French Polynesia said in a statement.
The islands of Ua Huka and Hiva Oa are also expected to be affected, it added.
Understanding tsunami alerts
We have been reporting about the various tsunami alerts issued by a number of countries following the earthquake off Russia’s coast earlier today – but what do they all mean?
These alerts are meant to notify local authorities, emergency services and the public about potential risks related to a tsunami. They are divided in four levels, according to the US National Weather Service:
- Tsunami Warning: Take action – danger! A tsunami that may cause widespread flooding is expected or occurring and may continue for several hours or days.
- Tsunami Advisory: Take action – A tsunami with potential for strong currents or waves dangerous to those in or very near the water is expected or occurring.
- Tsunami Watch: Be prepared – A distant earthquake has occurred. A tsunami is possible.
Stay tuned for more information. Be prepared to take action if necessary. - Tsunami Information Statement: Relax – An earthquake has occurred, but there is no threat or it was very far away and the threat has not been determined. In most cases, there is no threat of a destructive tsunami.
Russia lifts tsunami alerts, but risks remain
As we reported earlier, Russian authorities have cancelled a tsunami warning for the remote Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands.
Still, experts say some risk remains.
Scientists expect aftershocks at magnitudes of up to 7.5 and possible tsunamis on the coast of Avacha Bay on the southeastern coast of the peninsula. That is also where the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located.
Tsunami from powerful quake spanned the width of world’s biggest ocean
This tsunami has now made its way to the US West Coast.
All of the western seaport states – Washington, Oregon, California – are reporting elevated sea levels. There are no reports of damage and forecasters were predicting that any tsunami surge would be well below half a metre.
Meanwhile, islands and territories across the Pacific issued different warning levels as they braced for the tsunami’s arrival.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has now downgraded the threat level for the Hawaii islands from a warning to an advisory, meaning that people can now return to their homes.
It does appear that Hawaii has avoided a major tsunami, which it feared it might be subjected to, but it did record a tsunami surge of at least a metre.
And in the western Pacific, the island of Guam and the northern Marianas have had their alert warnings lifted, and they also seem to have avoided the worst of this tsunami.
But it gives you a sense of the power of the earthquake that created this tsunami, managing during the course of one long anxious day to span the width of the world’s biggest ocean.
NWS warns of rapid tidal swings in San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area’s National Weather Service reports rapid fluctuations of up to 61cm (two feet) in water level, most notably around the Monterey Bay, south of the city.
“These rapid tidal swings may persist through the morning as the tsunami waves continue to propagate through the waters,” it said.
Japan revises tsunami warnings for certain areas
The Japan Meteorological Agency has revised tsunami warnings to lower-level advisories for a number of areas, public broadcaster NHK has reported.
“Warnings remain in effect for parts of Hokkaido Prefecture and the Tohoku region,” the report said, adding that people should exercise caution until all alerts are lifted.
Latest updates on North America tsunami warnings and advisories
The National Tsunami Warning Center has issued its updated observations, saying a tsunami warning in is effect for:
- California – the coast from Cape Mendocino, California to the Oregon/California border
It also said a tsunami advisory is in effect for:
- California – the coast from the California/Mexico Border to Cape Mendocino, California, including San Francisco Bay
- Oregon – the coast from the Oregon/California border to the Oregon/Washington border, including the Columbia River estuary coast
- Washington – outer coast from the Oregon/Washington border to Slip Point, Columbia River estuary coast, and the Juan de Fuca Strait coast
- British Columbia – the north coast and Haida Gwaii, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, the Juan de Fuca Strait coast
- South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula – Pacific coasts from Chignik Bay, Alaska to Unimak Pass, Alaska (80 miles [130km] NE of Unalaska)
- Aleutian Islands – Unimak Pass, Alaska (80 miles [130km] NE of Unalaska) to Attu, Alaska, including the Pribilof Islands.
There is no tsunami threat for other US and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, it added.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest developments:
- A magnitude 8.8 earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded, has struck off the coast of eastern Russia.
- The US Geological Survey said the tremor was shallow at a depth of 19.3km (12 miles) and centred 119km (74 miles) east-southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
- There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries.
- A number of countries across the Pacific Ocean issued tsunami warnings and urged residents to evacuate coastal areas.
- In the US state of Hawaii, a tsunami warning has been downgraded to an advisory, allowing residents to return to their homes.
- There is also no further tsunami threat to the Pacific islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan.
‘Rapid and damaging surge’ in California area
The National Weather Service for Los Angeles in the US state of California says there is a “rapid and damaging surge” in Port San Luis that is going “from low to high tide in just a few minutes”.
“Do not return to inundated areas as waters will recede, but could return multiple times through the next 24 hours, and the first wave may not be the largest,” it urged residents.
Photos: People in Hawaii evacuate to safe areas after tsunami alert
No further tsunami threat to group of Pacific islands
A tsunami threat for a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean has been revoked, according to the US National Weather Service.
Based on all available data, there is no further tsunami threat to Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan from the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia earlier this morning, the agency said.
Minor sea level fluctuations may continue, it added.
Dozens evacuated from Russian beach on Pacific coast
Rescue workers have evacuated about 60 people staying in a surf camp on Khalaktyrsky beach on Russia’s eastern coast of Kamchatka.
Russian media reported that the decision was taken by the Ministry of Emergency Situations due to the risk of a tsunami.
No significant increase in water levels was recorded, the report added.
Video footage showed young people with backpacks boarding a truck.
Hawaii tsunami warning downgraded to advisory
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has downgraded its tsunami warning for Hawaii to a tsunami advisory.
This means that people who had evacuated across the US state will be able to return home.
A tsunami advisory also means that the potential for strong currents or dangerous waves is expected to occur for those in or near the ocean. There may also be flooding of beach or harbour areas.
Waves as high as 1.3 metres (4.5ft) were observed in Kahului, Hawaii, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Smaller waves of 45cm (1.5ft) were observed in Kawaihae and about 30cm (1ft) in Hilo Bay.
Tsunami alert issued for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
The US embassy in Port Moresby has issued a tsunami alert for Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, warning of “potential dangerous coastal flooding and/or strong and unusual currents dangerous to those in or very near the water”.
The embassy urged visitors to be prepared to move to higher ground and avoid coastal areas, beaches and rivers until further notice.
Major tsunami not expected to strike Hawaii: PTWC
The latest evaluation by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) says that based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the US state of Hawaii.
It added, however, that sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters, as well as to people near the shore at beaches and in harbours and marinas.
“The threat may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival,” it said.
Pacific coastal areas on high alert
Sue Dawson, a professor of hazard geoscience at the University of Dundee in Scotland, says the position of the quake off the coast in Russia “makes the entire Pacific at risk”.
“Fortunately, there is a very effective warming system in place for the Pacific, so warnings have been in place to allow evacuation away from the coastal zones,” she told Al Jazeera.
Dawson said impacts such as the one caused by today’s earthquake typically depend on how deep within the Earth the tremor occurred, as shallow events will have greater impacts.
“There is likely to be warnings for hours to come as the tsunami waves take hours to travel across the ocean.”
Tsunami waves arrive in San Francisco and Seattle
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data indicates that the first waves hit San Francisco, in the US state of California, at 1:12am local time (08:12 GMT).
The National Weather Service warns that the extent of the impact is still unknown, as waves are expected to build in size over time.
Other cities reporting waves include Seattle, Monterey, and Eureka, California.
Waves of 30cm reported in Guam
The US Geological Survey is reporting wave heights of up to 30cm (1ft) in Guam.
It said similar wave heights will continue and then start to diminish in the coming hours.
“The Tsunami Advisory remains in effect for Guam and the [Northern Mariana Islands],” it said.
“Potential impacts include sea level fluctuations, minor flooding of beach and harbour areas, and strong and unusual ocean currents in harbours, bays, and other near-shore waters.”
State of emergency declared in Russia’s Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy
Authorities in the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, in the country’s Far East, say that all services have been put on high alert following the earthquake.
“A state of emergency is in effect in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy due to the earthquake that occurred today,” Mayor Yevgeny Belyaev said in a social media post.
Photos: Aftermath of quake in Russia’s Far East
First tsunami waves hit US West Coast
The first tsunami waves were detected in Monterey, California at 12:48am local time (05:48 GMT), according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
Monterey has issued an evacuation order for Monterey Harbor, Breakwater Cove and nearby areas.