Tsunami Waves Reach Hawaii and California. The Latest on the Airline Disruption.

Police warning the public at Santa Monica Pier about the regular closure time of the pier amid a tsunami warning. (APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

Tsunami waves reached Hawaii and California early Wednesday after a powerful earthquake struck off Russia’s far east coast.

Numerous flights were delayed into and out of Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines have been affected.

Officials in Hawaii said the initial waves reaching the state weren’t significant, but it would be several hours before an all-clear signal.

“Everything has been OK so far. We haven’t seen a big wave,” Gov. Josh Green said, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We don’t want anyone to let their guard down,” he added.

The Los Angeles Weather Service said it had seen a “rapid and damaging surge, going from low to high tide in just a few minutes” in Port San Luis. The Bay Area Weather Service said it was seeing tidal swings near San Francisco and Monterey Bay, and advised people to stay away from the water.

The earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on the Pacific coast on Wednesday morning local time. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the earthquake at magnitude 8.8, making it one of the 10 biggest on record if confirmed, according to the agency.

Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com