8.8 magnitude earthquake latest: Volcano erupts in Russia, tsunami waves reach California

A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Pacific coast, sparking tsunami warnings and evacuations of coastal areas in Hawaii and alerts along the U.S. West Coast.

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In Russia, a camera captured the eruption of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano — the highest mountain in the region — sending hot lava down its western slope.

In the U.S., President Donald Trump on social media urged people to “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE” and to monitor updates on the tsunami.gov online dashboard.

After the initial tsunami waves had washed ashore in Hawaii and along the West Coast on Tuesday, officials with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reduced the alert level for the Hawaiian islands to a tsunami advisory.

Gov. Josh Green told reporters early Wednesday that Hawaii had so far “not seen a wave of consequence, which is a great relief to us.” He added, “It’s kind of a blessing to not be reporting any damage,” though warned there could yet be more tsunami waves.

Tsunami waves were recorded in Monterey, California, as of 12:48 a.m., the National Weather Service said, and reached San Francisco at around 1:12 a.m. However, none had caused any significant issues.

Coastal areas of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California remained under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tsunami advisories as of Wednesday morning. A stretch of coastline north of Cape Mendocino, California, to the border with Oregon remained under a tsunami warning. A tsunami warning means a tsunami that could cause widespread, dangerous flooding and powerful currents is expected. A tsunami watch means a distant earthquake has occurred and a tsunami is possible.

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines said they would resume flights on Wednesday morning after a pause due to the tsunami warnings.

Hawaii at center of initial warnings

The National Weather Service said just after 7 p.m. local time — 1 a.m. ET — that tsunami waves “were recently detected in Haleiwa.”

Just after 8:30 p.m. local time, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said, “It’s not over yet: Initial wave impacts from the leading edge of the tsunami measured several feet at some monitoring stations, but ‘follow-up’ waves over the next several hours often are LARGER. Don’t return to evacuated areas until the Tsunami Warning is officially lifted.”

Waves of up to 4 feet were recorded off of Oahu, with no large waves reported near the Big Island.

In Hawaii, the NWS called for “urgent action” to protect lives and property.

Officials there urged residents to leave beaches and evacuate low-lying areas for higher ground or to take shelter on at least the fourth floor of a building. Sirens sounded across the Hawaii islands 10 minutes after each hour for the three hours leading up to the expected impact as a part of a statewide warning system.

Less than an hour before the waves were expected to hit, Green said officials were braced for a “significant wave” measuring 6 feet total, from peak to trough. “That means a 3-foot wave riding on the top of the ocean,” Green said.

All shores of the island are at risk because tsunami waves wrap around islands, officials said.

“The danger can continue for many hours after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive. Tsunami heights cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the largest,” the NWS said in an alert.

“It is not just a 3-foot wave, it is a forceful wall of water,” the governor said, adding that it’s possible such a wave could knock down utility poles and leave debris strewn in its wake.

Tsunami alerts for West Coast, around the world

In the wake of the quake, a tsunami warning was issued for part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Northern California, from Cape Mendocino — located about 200 miles north of California — to the Oregon border. The rest of the California coast, as well as Oregon and Washington, were under a tsunami advisory.

The U.S. territories of Guam and American Samoa were also put under a tsunami advisory, according to USGS.

The intense quake occurred about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula with a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded by the agency, which upgraded its magnitude from initial reports of 8.0 and 8.7.

Magnitude 6.3 and 6.9 aftershocks were also reported in the area, according to USGS.

Damage was reported in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka region, where emergency services said 3,000 people were evacuated.

All of northern Japan was placed under a tsunami warning, with more than 2 million people evacuated.

Japan’s meteorological agency warned that a tsunami about 3 feet high was expected to reach Hokkaido.

The Japan Meteorological Agency later revised tsunami warnings to lower level advisories, but said people should still exercise caution.

In Central and South America, tsunami warnings or watches were put in place by authorities in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia.

In the Pacific region, French Polynesia, Guam, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Australia and the Philippines issued various levels of tsunami alerts, plus warnings of expected strong currents and possible flooding.

New Zealanders were advised to avoid beaches due to expected strong currents and surges.

U.S. territories in the Pacific including Johnston Atoll, Midway Island, Palmyra Island, Howland and Baker Islands, Jarvis Island and other nearby small islands were also put on alert for possible tsunami waves.

China issued tsunami alerts for Shanghai and Zhejiang regions, though those were later lifted.

ABC News’ William Gretsky, Anthony Trotter, Mireya Villarreal, Tanya Stukalova, Clark Bentson and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.