(NewsNation) — Hawaii, Alaska and the West Coast are bracing for strong waves after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Russia on Tuesday afternoon.
The quake was one of the strongest ever recorded, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Several aftershocks were also recorded, inundating Japan with tsunami waves and prompting evacuations and warnings across the Pacific.
What is the largest earthquake ever recorded?
The National Weather Service said the first waves hit the West Coast around 1 a.m.
While the tsunami waves remain a threat to coastal areas, leaders in California and Hawaii have eased back their warnings early Wednesday.
Residents and visitors found themselves backed up in traffic as they try to leave the the Ala Way Harbor, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii on July 29, 2025, after an 8.8 earthquake off of Russia’s far east prompted tsunami alerts. (Photo by Eugene Tanner /GETTY-AFP)
A Los Angeles police department helicopter flies over Santa Monica beach, California, amid a tsunami warning on July 29, 2025. (Photo by Apu GOMES / GETTY-AFP)
Masashi Kiyomoto, an expert on earthquake and tsunami countermeasures from the Japan Meteorological Agency, holds a news conference in Tokyo on July 30, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / GETTY-AFP)
NewsNation affiliates KTLA, KHON and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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