Tsunami advisory canceled for Hawaii; minor sea level changes detected

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The tsunami advisory for Hawaii has been canceled after minor sea level changes were detected, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The advisory was posted after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Alaska earlier in the day Monday.

For most of the day, Hawaii was in the clear as officials didn’t anticipate any big threats from the earthquake.

The around 4:40 p.m., the PTWC issued the advisory after data showed a rise in sea levels in Hilo and Kahului.

Impacts were expected to be minor. The change is sea levels and currents mainly posed a hazard to swimmers, boaters, and people near the shore, but widespread flooding and damage was not anticipated.

Civil Defense officials on Hawaii Island also confirmed Big Island beaches were closed as a precaution Monday evening.

The #tsunami Advisory for the State of Hawaii is canceled.https://t.co/zKsF01qcVp
— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) October 20, 2020

The earthquake off Alaska’s coast was located 55 miles south east of Sand Point at a depth of about 25 miles.

Parts of southern Alaska were placed under a tsunami warning after the strong earthquake struck at 10:54 a.m. Hawaii time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS initially put the magnitude of the temblor at 7.4.

This story will be updated.