Strongest Earthquake Since 2011 Sparks Tsunami Warnings
on Jul 29, 2025
8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Threatens West Coast
At approximately 8 a.m. in Russia on Wednesday, July 30 — or approximately 7 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, July 29 — an 8.8 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia.
As of 11 p.m. (EST), portions of Japan, Alaska, and Hawaii were under a tsunami warning.
Additionally, the West Coast of the United States and Guam were under a tsunami advisory, with the West Coast seeing waves hit the shore as early as 11:40 p.m. (PST), according to Fox Weather.
According to the Office of the Governor of Hawaii, the first wave was expected to hit Hawaii by 1:17 p.m. (HST) on July 30.
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT 133 PM HST.
— Office of the Governor, State of Hawai`i (@GovHawaii) July 29, 2025
IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS
0717 PM HST TUE 29 JUL 2025
The tsunami warning in Hawaii was downgraded to an advisory by 10:39 p.m. (HST), after evacuations of residents to higher ground were conducted.
This is the most powerful earthquake recorded since 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the sea off the coast of Japan, leading to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station disaster.
More About The Earthquake And Tsunami
Initially, the earthquake registered with the U.S. Geological Survey as an 8.8, and was followed by 6.9, 6.3, and 5.4 magnitude earthquakes in the same region.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about the incoming potential tsunami threat, linking citizens to tsunami.gov for up to date information on the situation.
While most tsunami warnings in the U.S. were downgraded to an advisory by 5 a.m. (PST) on July 30, a portion of Northern California remains under a tsunami warning.
Crescent City, California, and Eureka, California — both located within Humboldt County — are the primary cities affected by this warning.
However, the U.S. National Weather Service of Eureka has noted that both of those cities are “NOT at high risk of inundation of dry land from a tsunami. This highest risk of inundation is directed toward Crescent City, where 3-5 foot maximum tsunami waves are expected. Humboldt County is expected to have 1-2 foot maximum tsunami waves.”
Earthquake Triggers Eruption Of Volcano
According to the Associated Press in the morning of July 30, “Russian authorities said several people were injured, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details.”
This report comes after the Kamchatka coast saw waves reaching 15 feet high in the wake of the earthquake.
The earthquake in the Kamchatka Peninsula went on to trigger the eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano,
Footage of the volcano erupting can be seen here:
Klyuchevskoy volcano in #Russia starts erupting#BREAKING https://t.co/V8etZcLOIA pic.twitter.com/sawnkrXUJS
— APA News Agency (@APA_English) July 30, 2025
