Tsunami watch in Hawaii canceled though state remains alert after Pacific earthquake

The latest in a string of powerful earthquakes shook part of the southwestern Pacific on Friday morning, local time, leading to far-reaching tsunami concerns.

The magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred at 8:28 a.m. NZST Friday, or 2:38 p.m. EST Thursday, according to the USGS. The epicenter was located well northeast of New Zealand, but the shaking was felt on part of the country and nearby islands in the region.

"[This] is directly related to the M7.4 in nearly the same location just under 2 hours before," the USGS said in a Tweet. "Both of those occurred on the subduction interface between Pacific and Australia plates."

Around 12:30 p.m. NZST on Friday, New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency announced that the largest waves had passed and what was previously a land and marine threat is now downgraded to a beach and marine threat. People who evacuated are now safe to return.

A tsunami warning was initially issued for the Kermadec Island region, but that was later changed to a tsunami advisory, where tsunami waves could reach 3 meters (10 feet), according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC)

A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand coasts, the country's emergency management agency said. This includes the Great Barrier Island and part of the north-facing shores of the North Island. A marine tsunami warning was also issued by the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology for Norfolk Island, which sits to the east of the country. The warning has since been canceled for the island following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake northeast of New Zealand and a magnitude 6.6 aftershock.

A 64 cm (25 inches) tsunami wave impacted the coastline of Norfolk Island, according to an update from The Bureau of Meteorology. More tsunami waves are possible for the area.

Tsunami waves are also possible along the coasts of Fiji and other nearby islands. A tsunami advisory was canceled for American Samoa. There is currently no threat to the Australian mainland.

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A tsunami watch was initially issued for Hawaii, but it was later canceled by Gov. David Ige as of 12:20 p.m. HST. Ige said there is no threat for a tsunami to reach the state.

The National Weather Service determined that a tsunami is not expected to impact the U.S. West Coast, including Alaska.

"Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis potentially dangerous to coasts outside the source region," the NTWC said. "More information will be issued as it becomes available."

This is a breaking situation. Continue to check back with AccuWeather for more updates.

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