No tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after 7.6 Hokkaido, Japan earthquake

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after a preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake reported at 4:15 a.m. HST on Monday, Dec. 8, in Hokkaido, Japan.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports that a tsunami threat exists for parts of the Pacific located closer to the earthquake; however, based on all available data, there is no threat to Hawaiʻi.

This will be the only statement issued for this event unless additional data are received.

A tsunami is a series of waves. The time between the wave crests can vary from 5 minutes to an hour. The hazard may persist for many hours or longer after the initial wave.

Impacts can vary significantly from one section of coast to the next due to local bathymetry and the shape and elevation of the shoreline. Impacts can also vary depending on the state of the tide at the time of the maximum tsunami waves.

Estimated times of arrival of the initial tsunami wave for places within threatened regions are given below. Actual arrival times may differ and the initial wave may not be the largest. A tsunami is a series of waves and the time between waves can be five minutes to one hour.

    Location         Region             Coordinates    ETA(UTC)
    ————————————————————
    Hachinohe,       Japan             40.5N 141.5E   1450 12/08
    Kushiro,          Japan             42.9N 144.3E   1501 12/08
    Katsuura,         Japan             35.1N 140.3E   1537 12/08
    Sapporo,          Japan             43.5N 141.0E   1622 12/08
    Niigata,          Japan             38.0N 139.0E   1640 12/08
    Shimizu,          Japan             32.8N 133.0E   1658 12/08
    Nobeoka,          Japan             32.5N 131.8E   1705 12/08
    Shimane,          Japan             35.8N 133.0E   1739 12/08
    Nagasaki,         Japan             32.7N 129.7E   1848 12/08

Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meters above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Japan.

Tsunami waves are forecast to be less than 0.3 meters above sea level for the coasts of Chuuk, DPR of Korea, Guam, Johnston Atoll, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, Midway Island, Northern Marianas, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Philippines, Pohnpei Russia, Wake Island and Yap.