Tsunami watch issued all along West Coast after massive quake near Russia

Coastal areas all along the West Coast have been placed on tsunami watch after an earthquake near Russia.

At 4:25 p.m. PDT Tuesday an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.7 occurred 80 miles southeast off Russian’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The watch extends all the way south from Chignik Bay, Alaska to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

The times to be on watch vary based on distance from the point of origin. In Oceanside and La Jolla, authorities said, the possible tsunami start time is early Wednesday – at 1:15 a.m.

The time is roughly 1:05 a.m. for Los Angeles Harbor and 1:10 a.m. for Newport Beach.

Coastal areas in Washington state should be on watch from 11:35 p.m. Tuesday, with Oregon following at 11:40 p.m. The first notice for California is in Fort Bragg at 11:50 p.m.; San Francisco’s time is 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, with Santa Barbara at 12:50 a.m.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services stated that it is “monitoring any potential impacts to the state” from the quake and tsunami watch.

More serious tsunami warnings were issued for Hawaii and the Alaska coast in response to the quake.

In the United States, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. local time.

Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami alert for Japan’s Pacific coast, saying waves up to 3 meter (yards) could arrive along the northern Japanese coasts less than half an hour after the alert.

Aftershocks measuring at magnitudes of 6.9 and 6.3 were recorded over the ensuing hour after the original quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Tsunami watches are an advance notice to areas that could be impacted by a tsunami at a later time. The watch will remain in effect until further notice.

Watch areas may be upgraded to a warning or advisory status, or canceled, based on new information.

Russia’s Tass news agency reported from the biggest city near the epicenter, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, that many people ran out into the street without shoes or outerwear. Cabinets toppled inside homes, mirrors were broken, cars swayed in the street and balconies on buildings shook noticeably.

Tass also reported power outages and mobile phone service failures in the capital of the Kamchatka region.

Tass quoted a local Russian official as saying residents on Sakhalin Island were being evacuated and emergency services were working at full capacity.

Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Updated 6:30 p.m. July 29, 2025