A powerful 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, triggering a tsunami. The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau issued a tsunami warning today (30th), predicting that it would impact Taiwan at 1:18 in the afternoon. Coastal residents are reminded to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions.
On the morning of the 30th, a strong 8.7 magnitude earthquake hit the eastern offshore of Russia, causing tsunamis reaching up to 4 meters (13 feet). Several areas in the Pacific have already issued tsunami warnings, with evacuation orders in place in many parts of Japan and Hawaii.
According to the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau’s Earthquake Forecast Center, based on reports from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred in the eastern offshore of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia at 7:25 am Taiwan time, with the epicenter located at 160 degrees east longitude and 52.20 degrees north latitude. The bureau preliminarily assessed that the resulting tsunami from the earthquake is expected to begin affecting Taiwan around 1:18 pm today, hence the issuance of the tsunami warning to remind residents along the coast to be alert and take precautions.
The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau explained that the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning, estimating that the tsunami wave height along Taiwan’s coast could reach a level of 1 or above, with an estimated arrival time of 3 to 6 hours.
The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau’s Earthquake Early Warning System issues tsunami warnings when earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or above occur near Taiwan’s offshore areas at a depth of less than 35 kilometers. This is to urge coastal residents to prepare for potential tsunami threats.
When a tsunami with a wave height of 0.5 meters or higher is observed along Taiwan’s coast, the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau will investigate and issue a tsunami report for public reference. The tsunami warning or advisory will be lifted once the bureau determines that the threat of the tsunami has passed. In case of any changes to the warning contents, updated alerts will be issued accordingly.