Tsunami watch for Hawaii canceled following 8.2-magnitude quake off Alaska

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A tsunami watch has been canceled for Hawaii following a large earthquake off Alaska on Wednesday.

USGS reported the 8.2 earthquake in waters off of Perryville, Alaska at around 8:15 p.m. The epicenter was located about 2,500 miles directly north of the Hawaiian Islands.

Reports show that there have been at least two aftershocks, a magnitude 6.2 and 5.6 earthquake.

Forecasters with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center measured minor tsunami waves in Hawaii but said they were “very, very, very small.”

Experts said they are not expecting any major damage.

“Our preliminary results here probably indicates we don’t have a threat here,” said Chip McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The tsunami watch was canceled just before 10 p.m. Wednesday.

The temblor is being called the Chignik earthquake, which was relatively close to the region in Alaska, and appears to be related to Simeonof earthquake that struck almost exactly one year ago.

They both happened along the interface between the subducting Pacific North America plates. Wednesday night’s quake was the deepest at around 28.5 miles.

Scientists are reminding the public to review their evacuation plans as earthquakes and tsunamis can strike at any time.

This story will be updated.

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