Is Hawaii under a tsunami warning after Panama earthquake?

Latest US updates Hawaii assessed a possible tsunami threat after a powerful Panama earthquake, with officials urging residents to follow updates.

Updated on: Oct 10, 2026, 00:31:30 IST By Sehjal Gupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Hawaii's tsunami threat was being assessed after a powerful earthquake struck near Panama on October 9, 2026.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially reported the earthquake at magnitude 8.0 and warned that tsunami waves could affect parts of the Pacific closer to the quake's location.

Heidi Hatch, a KUTV news anchor, shared an alert from Oahu Emergency Management on X.

Her post read, “Tsunami warning possible Hawaii”.

The official notice said it was too early to determine whether Hawaii faced a tsunami threat.

It was an information statement, and residents were not asked to take immediate action.

The centre said a tsunami threat existed for parts of the Pacific closer to the earthquake, but it was too early to determine whether Hawaii would also be affected.

The preliminary earthquake details were: Date: October 9, 2026 Origin time: 7:56 a.m.

Hawaii Standard Time (HST) Location: Panama Coordinates: 7.5°N, 80.8°W Magnitude: 8.0 (moment magnitude) The PTWC said the earliest a potential tsunami hazard could begin in Hawaii was estimated at 7:05 p.m.

HST on Friday, October 9.

This was a preliminary estimate and did not confirm that tsunami waves would reach the islands.

In a post on X, the agency reported the earthquake's preliminary magnitude as 7.6, revising the earlier estimate of 8.0.

The agency stated: “THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.” It added: “BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.” The update listed the earthquake's origin time as 7:56 a.m.

Hawaii Standard Time on October 9, 2026, with coordinates of 7.5°N, 80.8°W and its location near Panama.

The latest statement clarified that Hawaii was not under a tsunami threat, despite the earlier assessment while officials reviewed the earthquake data.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sehjal Gupta Sehjal Gupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times and is part of the US Desk.

She covers a wide range of stories from the United States, including politics, sports, entertainment, breaking news, and major global developments.

She enjoys working across different beats because every story brings a fresh perspective and an opportunity to explore something different.

Before joining Hindustan Times, Sehjal was part of The Times of India, where she headed the International Sports and US Streamers team.

She reported on international sports, athlete stories, streamer news, and major developments from around the world.

The role gave her the opportunity to work on a diverse range of stories while leading coverage across two evolving news categories.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and believes the experience taught her the importance of staying organised, managing priorities, and adapting to new challenges.

Over the years, she has reported on a variety of topics and enjoys taking on stories that keep her curious and encourage her to look beyond the obvious.

Expertise: International news, International/US sports, and streamer coverage.

Interests: Global affairs, geopolitics, politics, and entertainment.

Outside work, Sehjal loves travelling, watching movies, and exploring new places to eat.