Hawaii's tsunami threat was being assessed after a powerful earthquake struck near Panama on October 9, 2026. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially reported the earthquake at magnitude 8.0 and warned that tsunami waves could affect parts of the Pacific closer to the quake's location.
Heidi Hatch, a KUTV news anchor, shared an alert from Oahu Emergency Management on X. Her post read, “Tsunami warning possible Hawaii”.
The official notice said it was too early to determine whether Hawaii faced a tsunami threat. It was an information statement, and residents were not asked to take immediate action.
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Tsunami alert
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) reported an earthquake near Panama on October 9, 2026, with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0. The centre said a tsunami threat existed for parts of the Pacific closer to the earthquake, but it was too early to determine whether Hawaii would also be affected.
The preliminary earthquake details were:
- Date: October 9, 2026
- Origin time: 7:56 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST)
- Location: Panama
- Coordinates: 7.5°N, 80.8°W
- Magnitude: 8.0 (moment magnitude)
The preliminary earthquake details were:
- Date: October 9, 2026
- Origin time: 7:56 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST)
- Location: Panama
- Coordinates: 7.5°N, 80.8°W
- Magnitude: 8.0 (moment magnitude)
The PTWC said the earliest a potential tsunami hazard could begin in Hawaii was estimated at 7:05 p.m. HST on Friday, October 9. This was a preliminary estimate and did not confirm that tsunami waves would reach the islands.
Hawaii tsunami threat update
Hawaii EMA confirms no tsunami threat to Hawaii
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Hawaii EMA) later confirmed that there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii following the earthquake near Panama. In a post on X, the agency reported the earthquake's preliminary magnitude as 7.6, revising the earlier estimate of 8.0.
The agency stated: “THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.”
It added: “BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.”
The update listed the earthquake's origin time as 7:56 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time on October 9, 2026, with coordinates of 7.5°N, 80.8°W and its location near Panama.
The latest statement clarified that Hawaii was not under a tsunami threat, despite the earlier assessment while officials reviewed the earthquake data.