November 1, 1854 Tsunami: N. California, United States
A tsunami of unknown cause began at N. California, United States on November 1, 1854. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- November 1, 1854
- Source
- N. California, United States
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The water rose 0.6 m (several ft.) with high waves in calm weather in the vicinity of Angel Is., San Francisco Bay. May be misdated effect of Oct 22, 1854, event. Nov 1 is the date of publication of report.
1854, November 1 or 10, or December 1? 10:00 local time. On Angel Island (San Francisco region), in the absence of the slightest wind and with a calm surface of the sea, the water suddenly rose a metre (several feet) with enormous waves, lasting about a half hour. No one could remember the like here (Reference #415).
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA, CA doubtful | United States | 0.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1854The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 2667.