Tsunami warning for Alaska coast after earthquake

The United States Weather Service (NWS) issued a tsunami warning for the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, July 16, after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the northeastern state.

The NWS announced on social media that the earthquake's epicenter was 87 kilometers south of Sand Point in the Pacific Ocean at 12:38 p.m. local time (9:38 p.m. Lisbon time). In addition to Sand Point, cities such as Cold Bay and Kodiak are also on alert.

TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT… SOUTH ALASKA AND THE ALASKA PENINSULA, Pacific coasts from Kennedy Entrance, AK to Unimak Pass, Alaska Mag 7.3 * Origin Time 1238 AKDT Jul 16 2025 * Depth 12 miles

* Location 55 miles S of Sand Point, Alaska

— NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) July 16, 2025

The tsunami warning in effect covers a vast, sparsely populated, and largely wild coastal region and ends just before Anchorage, the state's most populous city.

In areas under alert, the NWS urged residents to move to higher ground or an upper floor of a building.

According to the United States Geophysical Survey (USGS), the risk of casualties and damage is low . "In general, the population of this region resides in structures resistant to seismic tremors, although there are vulnerable structures," the USGS stated.

Situated at the intersection of the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate, Alaska is highly susceptible to earthquakes. The worst earthquake in its recent history, in 1964, also occurred off its coast, with a magnitude of 9.2, killing over 130 people. In 2023, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred off the Alaska Peninsula, causing no casualties.