The Alaska Peninsula was hit by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake on the afternoon of July 16. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration briefly issued a tsunami warning for the residents on the southern coast. The communities living in the majority of the Alaska Peninsula were ordered to move inland to higher ground.
However, the tsunami warning was later downgraded to a tsunami advisory. The advisory was in effect for most of the coastal areas from Kennedy Entrance to Unimak Pass. The cities impacted by the Alaska earthquake and subsequent tsunami warning included Cold Bay, Sand Point, and Kodiak. Thankfully, by about 2:43 PM (local time), the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) canceled the tsunami warning for the coastal areas.
What Do We Know So Far About the Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami?
The Alaska earthquake was recorded at around 12:37 PM (local time), southeast of Sand Point. A community located on Popof Island in the Aleutian Chain was the first to experience the quake. However, as per the Alaska Earthquake Center, the earthquake was felt throughout the Alaska Peninsula and southern Alaska.
Following the Alaska earthquake, multiple aftershocks near Sand Point were recorded. One of them was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake about 66 miles south-southeast of the community. The Alaska Earthquake Center reported that there have been at least 20 aftershocks after the main 7.3 magnitude earthquake south of Sand Point. Five of the aftershocks were above the magnitude of 4.
The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for the majority of Alaska. However, by around 1:50 PM (local time), the warning was downgraded to a tsunami advisory. Alaskan authorities warned of potential coastal flooding and advised residents to move inland or to higher ground.
At 2:43 PM (local time), the NTWC said the advisory was canceled. The NTWC issued a statement: “Tsunami cancellations indicate the end of the damaging tsunami threat. A cancellation is issued after an evaluation of sea level data confirms that a destructive tsunami will not impact the alerted region, or after tsunami levels have subsided to non-damaging levels.”
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