A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Alaska Peninsula on the afternoon of July 16, briefly¹ triggering a tsunami² warning for the state's southern coast as communities were ordered to move inland to higher ground.

The earthquake was recorded at 12:37 p.m. local time, southeast of Sand Point, a community located on Popof Island in the Aleutian Chain, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Alaska Earthquake Center said the quake was "felt throughout the Alaska Peninsula and southern Alaska."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric³ Administration initially⁴ issued a tsunami warning for the majority of the Alaska Peninsula, spanning into the southernmost part of Alaska's mainland toward Anchorage.

The alert was later downgraded to a tsunami advisory⁵ by 1:50 p.m. local time. The tsunami advisory was in effect for coastal⁶ areas from Kennedy Entrance, about 40 miles southwest of Homer, to Unimak Pass — a distance of about 700 miles, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.

Impacted cities include Cold Bay, Sand Point, and Kodiak, the Anchorage National Weather Service shared on social media on July 16. Authorities warned of potential dangerous coastal flooding, and residents were advised to move inland and to higher ground.