Hawaii, 2025

Tsunami in Hawaii, July 29 to 30, 2025

July 29 to 30, 2025 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Kamchatka Russia and sent a tsunami across the Pacific to the Hawaiian islands.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A large 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Kamchatka Russia and sent a tsunami across the Pacific to the Hawaiian islands.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 3:45 PM HST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 3:45 PM HST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
345 PM HST Tue Jul 29 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
Light to moderate trades will strengthen over the next couple of
days to moderate to locally strong as a high north of the state
builds. Clouds and showers will focus along windward and mauka
areas, particularly overnight and early morning as a rather dry
and stable airmass settles over the state and persists into next
weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Residing equatorward of the upper jet draped roughly along 30N,
the islands are under the influence of modest mid-level subsidence
and surface high pressure established over the NE Pacific Basin.
Expect nothing more than periodic batches of showers focused
windward and mauka, mainly overnight and during the early morning
period amounting to little overall rainfall through the forecast
period. The surface pressure gradient with strengthen over the
next few days from the high to our northeast and tropical
cyclones passing far south of Hawaii, yielding breezy to locally
strong trades. This potentially results in a few more light
showers penetrating leeward overnight.

&&

.AVIATION...
Trade winds will increase over the next few days. Low clouds and
showers will mainly focus over windward and mauka locations. MVFR
conditions are possible in SHRA. Otherwise VFR will prevail.

&&

.MARINE...
Moderate to strong trade winds will be in place through the
weekend as high pressure builds north of the area. The current
Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for the typical windy
waters and channels around Maui County and the Big Island and
will expand in coverage to include the Kauai waters tomorrow
morning as trade winds strengthen. This SCA will likely continue
through the weekend.

The two current tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific are
forecast to pass several hundred miles south of Hawaii over the
next couple of days, more information on Hurricane Iona can be
found at WMO header WTPA21 PHFO and AWIPS header HFOTCMCP1, and
information on Tropical Storm Keli can be found at WMO header
WTPA22 PHFO and AWIPS header HFOTCMCP2. Additional Tropical
Cyclone development is expected far southeast of Hawaii in the
next few days. Isolated thunderstorms along the northern
periphery of these systems may effect the far southern portion of
the offshore waters, and while some short- period southeast swells
may reach southern and southeastern shores of Hawaii, a much
larger and unrelated south swell will dominate.

A multi-day buildup of surf for south facing shores is expected
this week as a series of long period swells fill in. The first
swell is forecast to arrive later today into tonight and peak near
the summertime average tomorrow (5-6 ft). While that swell holds
tomorrow, forerunners from the next much larger well will start to
fill in and peak late Thursday at well over advisory levels (8 to
12 ft) and hold through Friday. The swell will gradually decline
over the weekend and will be followed by another long period
south swell early next week.

East shore surf will trend up over the next few days as strengthening
trade winds generate larger wind waves. Surf along east facing
shores will rise to seasonal average late Wednesday or Thursday
and hold into the weekend, followed by a possible decline early
next week.

Flat summer conditions along north facing shores may be
interrupted this weekend by a small long period northwest swell
from Typhoon Krosa, currently in the western Pacific.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Expect humidity levels to gradually lower to more typical
summertime levels through today as a drier and more stable airmass
builds over the state. Humidity and wind speeds will be near
critical conditions Wednesday into the weekend as breezy
conditions develop. Some uncertainty remains in the wind speeds
later this week and will continue to monitor for possibility of
any headlines.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Tsunami Warning for the state of Hawaii and for all Hawaiian
waters.

Small Craft Advisory from 6 AM Wednesday to 6 AM HST Thursday
for Kauai Northwest Waters-Kauai Leeward Waters.

Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Thursday for Kaiwi Channel-
Maui County Windward Waters-Maalaea Bay-Pailolo Channel-
Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Windward Waters-Big Island Leeward
Waters-Big Island Southeast Waters.

&&

DISCUSSION...JVC/RAB
AVIATION...TS
MARINE...Tsamous
FIRE WEATHER...JVC

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tsunami. Local standard time, as filed.

Tsunami, Big Island East

When
July 29, 7:00 PM HST to July 30, 12:00 AM HST
Where
Big Island East forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 4.9 foot tsunami generated from an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia flooded the SCP Hilo Hotel. Water inundated the Hotel's lower levels, including the parking area, driveway, and approximately ten rooms. Guests were evacuated beforehand to shelters.

What these are

Tsunami
A series of waves caused by an undersea earthquake, landslide or eruption.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 2025

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1276005.