West Coast Upgraded To Tsunami Advisory After Massive Russian Earthquake

A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia late Tuesday afternoon, triggering a tsunami advisory for the entire West Coast of the United States and evacuation orders in Hawaii.

Much of California remained under a tsunami advisory Tuesday night while coastal Humboldt and Del Norte counties face a more severe tsunami warning. In Crescent City, a harbor community that has been hit with catastrophic tsunamis in the past, waves nearing five feet-tall are expected.

The rest of the state can expect waves ranging from 1.3 feet to nearly 4 feet above the expected tides around midnight and later.

A large wave reaching 13 feet reportedly struck the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia not long after the quake. The first wave was expected to reach Hawaii around 10: 17 p.m. Traffic jams were reported on the islands as residents rushed to flee the coasts. Oahu’s entire coastline faced the greatest risk.

Around 8:30 p.m., the coastal stretch from the Oregon-California border to Cape Mendocino, located nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco, was upgraded from an advisory to a tsunami warning while the rest of the state was under a tsunami advisory.

People living in the coastal area were advised by the weather service to move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas.

The public was also advised by the weather service to not go to the coast to watch and to be alert to instructions from local emergency management officials.

SEE ALSO: Tsunami Advisory For California Coast: Timeline, Map And What To Expect

At 6:18 p.m., the California Geological Survey Department of Conservation reported that tsunami activity was expected to arrive in the Bay Area at 12:40 a.m.

At 6 p.m. the National Weather Service's Bay Area office and Tsunami Warning Centers provided estimated arrival times for California: Monterey at approximately 12:15 a.m., San Francisco at 12:40 a.m., and the Los Angeles harbor at 1:05 a.m., 1:10 a.m. for Newport Beach and La Jolla and 1:15 a.m. for Oceanside.

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

"Port Police and emergency officials are actively responding to tonight's tsunami advisory," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "Residents and workers in and around the L.A. Harbor area are urged to stay alert, avoid the waterline, and follow official instructions."

Originally under a tsunami watch, the West Coast was upgraded to an advisory shortly before 7:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. To view a map of the areas covered by the advisory, visit https://tsunami.gov/.

A tsunami watch means that a tsunami could impact the California coast, but it hasn't been confirmed or detected yet. It's considered a precautionary alert. A tsunami advisory means strong currents and waves dangerous to those in or very near the water are possible and people should stay out of the water and away from beaches and waterways, according to the weather service. A tsunami warning means dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents are possible, and people should move to high ground or inland.

The magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy in Russia, according to the USGS, causing a tsunami watch for the U.S. West Coast to be issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SEE ALSO: The San Andreas Is Overdue For The Big One, And This Might Be Why

The temblor was reported just after 4:24 p.m.

The earthquake struck approximately 85 miles off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, reaching a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the USGS.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake also struck off the coast of Ferndale, according to the United States Geological Survey. The temblor was reported just after 4:18 p.m.

Ferndale is located about 20 miles south of Eureka.

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City News Service contributed to this report.