SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A tsunami sent waves into Russia, Japan, Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Russian Far East early Wednesday.
RELATED: California hit with tsunami waves after massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake
The quake was one of the biggest temblors ever recorded. Several people were injured, but none seriously, and no major damage has been reported so far.
The danger already appeared to be subsiding in some places, with authorities in Hawaii and parts of Japan and Russia downgrading their warnings. But Chile upgraded its warning to the highest level for most of its lengthy Pacific coast, and said it was evacuating hundreds of people.
Tsunami waves reached the San Francisco coast early Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Despite the strong current and dangerous waves, they are only expected to increase by about one-to-two feet in the region.
A Tsunami Advisory has been canceled for the Central Coast of California, including the entire Bay Area.
The Bay Area is no longer under a Tsunami Advisory, which the National Weather Service says has been canceled for the Central Coast of California.
The NWS says the Tsunami Advisory still remains in effect for other parts of the California coast.
They say that "the ocean will continue to fluctuate over the next several days, with strong currents possible."
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami and set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan's nuclear plants were not affected Wednesday.
Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world. Wednesday's occurred along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes take place.
The quake struck at 11:24 a.m. in Kamchatka with a magnitude of 8.8 and a depth of about 21 kilometers (13 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered offshore, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka's regional capital.
Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.
Russia's Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves might have been as high as 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) in some sections of the Kamchatka coast - but the highest were less than 6 meters (20 feet) near the populated areas of the peninsula and the nearby Kuril Islands.
Meanwhile, lava began to flow Wednesday from Kamchatka's Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano, the largest active one in the Northern Hemisphere. Observers also heard explosions, the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service said.
The San Francisco Bay Ferry system will be operating normal service on Wednesday despite a tsunami advisory issued for the California coast following a powerful earthquake off Russia.
Around 6:15 a.m., officials with the ferry system said on social media that there were no service impacts or reported damage. Commuters can expect its standard operations to be running across all ferry routes serving the Bay Area.
Tsunami waves reached San Francisco's coast at approximately 1:12 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Earlier activity was detected in Crescent City and Humboldt Bay around 12:45 a.m., followed by Monterey at 12:50 a.m.
The National Tsunami Warning Center issued the advisory on Tuesday after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The advisory covers coastal counties from Mendocino to Monterey.
No major damage has been reported in California as of 6 a.m. Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the threat of a major tsunami hitting the United States "has passed completely."
Noem, speaking in Chile where she is attending meetings with officials, told reporters in the capital, Santiago: "We're in really good shape right now. We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary, but grateful that we didn't have to deal with the situation that this could have been."
The Tsunami danger appeared to also be lessening with authorities in Hawaii and parts of Japan and Russia downgrading their warnings.
Russian authorities on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands have canceled their tsunami warnings but say the risk of aftershocks and waves remains.
The regional branch of Russia's Emergency Ministry on Kamchatka warned that scientists expect aftershocks at magnitudes of up to 7.5. It said that more tsunamis are possible in the Avacha Bay where the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located.
