Hawaii officials say the timing of the tsunami warning and evacuation orders following this week's massive earthquake off Russia helped make for severe traffic congestion in some areas

Warnings, advisories and watches were issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the quake that struck around 7:24 p.m. ET, about 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,

Tsunami waves hit Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast on Wednesday after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's coast. Follow live updates for the latest on advisories, warnings, damage and wave locations.

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake in eastern Russia triggered tsunami warnings in Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific coast.

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet nearby, and sparked evacuation orders in Japan, Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday (July 30).