"It's not one that's going to cause mass devastation. But it will cause coastal flooding and it will cause damage and it does put lives at risk if people don't move to high ground," an oceanography professor says.

Tsunami alerts were triggered in Alaska, Hawaii, and California. In Hawaii, the tsunami warnings shifted to an advisory, and officials lifted evacuation orders. Much of coastal California was under a tsunami advisory, but areas like Crescent City remained under a tsunami warning early on July 30.