Video Shows Large Waves Hit San Mateo County After Tsunami Advisory

HALF MOON BAY, CA — A massive earthquake in Russia put the West Coast on high alert for a possible tsunami and caused large waves Wednesday seen at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.

The National Weather Service released a time lapse video that shows large waves lifting boats out of the water in Half Moon Bay.

A magnitude 8.7 earthquake off Russia's eastern coast Tuesday afternoon triggered a tsunami advisory for the entire U.S. West Coast and evacuations in Hawaii.

A tsunami advisory was canceled Wednesday along Southern California after waves reaching four feet high hit the coast in the middle of the night, but the advisory remained in effect from the San Central Coast to the Oregon border.

California remained under a tsunami advisory Tuesday night, with coastal Humboldt and Del Norte counties under a more severe tsunami warning. Crescent City, a harbor community previously hit by catastrophic tsunamis, expects waves nearing five feet. The rest of the state expected waves ranging from 1.3 to nearly 4 feet above expected tides around midnight and later.

A 13-foot wave hit Kamchatka after a quake. Hawaii expected its first wave around 10:17 p.m., causing traffic jams as residents fled coasts, with Oahu's coastline at highest risk. The Oregon-California border to Cape Mendocino was upgraded to a tsunami warning around 8:30 p.m., while the rest of the state remained under an advisory.

The weather service advised coastal residents to evacuate beaches, harbors, and marinas, and warned the public not to go to the coast but to heed local emergency management officials.