A strong earthquake that hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, June 30, triggered tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for Japan, parts of Russia, Alaska and the Pacific. Several islands are also under threat, including Midway Atoll, located in the North Pacific Ocean, specifically within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands archipelago.
The tremors occurred at 8:25am (2325 GMT Tuesday), registering a preliminary magnitude of 8.0. The magnitude was later upgraded to 8.7. The National Weather Service (NWS) have alerted that “a tsunami has been confirmed and some impacts are expected,” adding that several islands are expected to be hit by towering waves, placing shores at risk.
Tsunami in Midway Atoll
Several social media posts have said that tsunami waves have already hit Midway Atoll, reaching up to 7 feet.
One X post reads, “7FT TSUNAMI WAVES DETECTED AT MIDWAY ATOLL - HAWAII NEXT. NOAA sensors just recorded massive 7-foot surges at Midway Atoll, the last major landmass before the tsunami slams into Hawaii. This confirms the wave is real, fast, and dangerous. Hawaiians have less than 30 minutes until impact. If you're near the coast: EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. Meteorologist Bryan Bennett wrote in a post, “TSUNAMI IMMINENT IN HAWAII. Water levels at Midway Atoll, just northwest of Hawaii, dropped more than 2 feet, then surged to 5.24 feet above mean sea level in less than 20 mins. This extreme oscillation mirrors patterns seen during the 1952 Kamchatka megathrust earthquake, which sent an 8 to 12 foot tsunami into Hawaii.”
{{/usCountry}}One X post reads, “7FT TSUNAMI WAVES DETECTED AT MIDWAY ATOLL - HAWAII NEXT. NOAA sensors just recorded massive 7-foot surges at Midway Atoll, the last major landmass before the tsunami slams into Hawaii. This confirms the wave is real, fast, and dangerous. Hawaiians have less than 30 minutes until impact. If you're near the coast: EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. Meteorologist Bryan Bennett wrote in a post, “TSUNAMI IMMINENT IN HAWAII. Water levels at Midway Atoll, just northwest of Hawaii, dropped more than 2 feet, then surged to 5.24 feet above mean sea level in less than 20 mins. This extreme oscillation mirrors patterns seen during the 1952 Kamchatka megathrust earthquake, which sent an 8 to 12 foot tsunami into Hawaii.”
{{/usCountry}}Ben Noll, meteorologist for The Washington Post, shared on X, “Sea levels rose 5.9 feet above normal at Midway Atoll in the central Pacific. These are the tsunami waves that are headed for Hawaii — very soon. Another X user said, “Tsunami - Waves have arrived at Midway Atoll. In 7 minutes water levels rose 7 feet at Midway Island, 1300 miles west of Honolulu, Hawaii, as tsunami waves arrived. Reports are that the highest point on the island is 18 feet above sea level. Hope that the subsequent waves are not as high.”