A major tsunami was not expected to strike Hawaii, a Pacific monitoring agency has said, after the initial waves hit the islands following a powerful magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern coast.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, operated by the US National Weather Service, said in an update that “based on all available data”, a major tsunami was not expected to hit the state of Hawaii, although it warned all coasts could remain “a hazard to swimmers and boaters”, including people near the shore, due to sea level changes, powerful waves and strong currents.
Hawaii’s emergency management agency said evacuation orders had been lifted and there were no reports of major damage. The tsunami warning for the state had been downgraded on Wednesday morning to a tsunami advisory.
The highest recorded waves in Hawaii reached up to 1.8 metres (6ft). Tsunami warning sirens had sounded on Tuesday evening local time in Honolulu as the emergency department called for the evacuation of some coastal areas in preparation.
The US Coast Guard advised all boats to leave the port ahead of the tsunami’s arrival and airports were briefly shut before being reopened.
The first waves hit the islands shortly after 8pm local time, with a gauge at Hanalei recording a wave height of a metre (3ft) above normal sea level. The Haleiwa gauge, on Oahu’s North Shore, recorded a tsunami amplitude of 1.2 metres (4ft) above normal sea level. Later readings reported waves as high as 1.7 metres above normal sea level.
The height of tsunami waves is only one factor in their destructiveness, with much depending on their speed and volume of moving water, as well as the shape of the shoreline.
The massive quake struck early on Wednesday morning in Russia, generating tsunami waves of up to 4 metres on the country’s east coast, damaging buildings and prompting evacuation warnings in the region and across most of Japan’s east coast, officials said.
The US tsunami warning system issued a warning of “hazardous tsunami waves” and a watch was also in effect for the US island territory of Guam and other islands of Micronesia.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on Wednesday morning that there was no further tsunami threat to Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan and Japan’s Meteorological Agency downgraded its tsunami warnings to advisories.
Parts of California’s coast remained under tsunami warnings and advisories on Wednesday morning, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
The center states that tsunami warnings “mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is expected or occurring”.
“Warnings indicate that widespread dangerous coastal flooding accompanied by powerful currents are possible and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival,” it adds.
The US National Weather Service in Los Angeles reported early on Wednesday a “rapid and damaging surge” at the Port San Luis gauge, “going from low to high tide in just a few minutes”.
Crescent City, California, saw waves as high as 8ft, in line with the area’s highest tides but not high enough to cause flooding or other damage in the city’s downtown, officials told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It was a long night for all of us,” said Eric Wier, the city manager of Crescent City, which has endured dozens of tsunamis over the last century. “We were fortunate this time. There was significant tsunami surges. We’re still dealing with those now, but it did stay within the banks of Elk Creek.”
Officials with the National Weather Service advised residents to be “cautious of dangerous currents” through the day.
Tsunami advisories were also in effect for parts of the coastal areas of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia.
On Tuesday night in Hawaii, the state’s governor, Josh Green, said that data from Midway Atoll, between Japan and Hawaii, measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of almost 6ft.
Green said Black Hawk helicopters were activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities need to rescue people. “But please do not put yourself in harm’s way,” he added.
The governor said officials observed water receding by as much as 30ft at one Oahu harbor, before waves arrived.
Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu as the tsunami alerts coincided with the Tuesday afternoon rush hour. Warning sirens blared as people moved to higher ground. Hawaii schools cancelled after-school and evening activities.
There were long lines at gas stations near downtown Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline.
An up-to-date map of tsunami warnings, advisories and watches can be found on a map at the US tsunami warning system’s website.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
