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.

The magnitude 8.8 quake is believed to be the joint sixth-largest on record, though only minor injuries near the epicenter have been reported.

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