Alerts for a potential tsunami were issued for coastlines in North America, Hawaii, Russia and Japan after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean off Russia’s northern Pacific coast, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which is part of the National Weather Service.

Waves and strong currents are expected to continue Wednesday for Washington but it appears we've escaped largely unscathed.

UNESCO’s tsunami warning system issued rapid alerts after the 8.8-magnitude Kamchatka quake, enabling Pacific nations to activate evacuation plans and save lives.

Hours after a powerful earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the region's highest volcano began erupting. Geophysicists from the Russian Academy of Sciences reported a strong glow visible at the summit of the 4,750-metre Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Russian Far East.

Officials from Japan to California issued warnings after an 8.8-magnitude quake off Russia’s coast. Hours later, there were no immediate reports of major damage, although some areas remained on alert.

A powerful earthquake off Russia’s coast triggered tsunami waves that reached across the Pacific, prompting evacuations as far as Chile and Peru. Experts explain how sudden shifts in the ocean can send waves traveling more than 500 mph thousands of miles away.