Tsunami waves to reach Americas after 8.8 quake near Russia

Communities around the world were under tsunami warnings Tuesday night through Wednesday morning after a massive earthquake sent waves rippling through the Pacific Ocean. While tsunami watches and advisories were called along the U.S. and Canadian coasts, the tsunami also threatened locations in Central and South America, according to tsunami.gov. Emergency officials in Peru on Wednesday said waves up to 7.58 feet were expected to reach the country’s coast.

The magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurred Wednesday morning, local time, off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and is among the top 10 strongest quakes recorded globally since 1900, according to the United States Geological Survey. It is the strongest earthquake recorded since the magnitude 9 quake that struck Japan in 2011. Authorities in Russia said no fatalities were reported as tsunami waves struck coastal areas, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Experts in Russia predict aftershocks up to magnitude 7.5 could occur for at least a month.

What happened around the Pacific? A tsunami warning remained in effect Wednesday in Japan, where officials warned residents to shelter on higher ground. Waves hit the northern and eastern coasts. More than 2 million people were advised to evacuate.

Meanwhile, authorities in Oahu, Hawaii, downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory Wednesday after previously urging residents to evacuate from coastal areas. Some powerful waves reached the islands while a 3.6-foot wave arrived in Crescent City, Calif.

Dig deeper: Read my report from earlier this year about earthquakes that rattled Japan.