State Watch

Tsunami warning lifted after earthquake off Alaska coast

This image made from the video posted to social media by Jared Griffin shows vehicles around Kodiak High School following the earthquake, in Kodiak, Alaska, Saturday, July 15, 2023. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake triggered a brief tsunami advisory for southern Alaska, monitoring bodies reported late Saturday.(Jared Griffin via AP)

A tsunami warning for Southern Alaska was lifted two hours after it was issued Saturday night, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Anchorage downgraded the alert to a tsunami advisory about an hour after it first went out, and ultimately cancelled the advisory an hour later.

The initial earthquake occurred about 50 miles south of Sand Point, Alaska, and at a depth of about 20 miles, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. It was followed by several aftershocks, including a 5.7 magnitude quake just minutes later.

The Shumagin Islands region, where Saturday’s earthquake occurred, has seen several large temblors in recent years. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region in July 2020, followed by an 8.2 magnitude quake in July 2021, according to the earthquake center based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

“The once quiet ‘Shumagin Gap’ isn’t so quiet anymore!” the center tweeted on Sunday morning.

Tags Alaska earthquake tsunami warning

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