A catastrophic 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the upper Pacific Ocean Tuesday evening, sending tsunami waves across the region and triggering widespread warnings from Russia to Hawaii to California.
The quake, which struck at 1:24 p.m. Hawaiian Time (7:24 p.m. ET), was centered 85 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, and occurred at a depth of 11 miles, according to seismologists. It is now confirmed as one of the strongest quakes in modern history, and the most powerful globally in 14 years.
Tsunami Strikes Across the Pacific
United States
Crescent City, California: Waves reached 4 feet, with the first surge striking just before 1 a.m. PT.
Humboldt Bay & Arena Cove, CA: Waves measured between 3 to 3.6 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
San Francisco: Residents were seen gathering at Ocean Beach in the early hours despite warnings.
The region from the California-Oregon border to Cape Mendocino was under a Tsunami Warning, while the rest of the U.S. West Coast remained under an advisory.
Hawaii
Kahului, Maui recorded the highest wave in the state so far at 5.7 feet.