October 4, 1854 Tsunami: N. California, United States
A tsunami of unknown cause began at N. California, United States on October 4, 1854 at 18:19 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.03 meters. 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
- October 4, 1854, 18:19 UTC
- Source
- N. California, United States
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 0.03 m (0.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
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.
It is a possible teletsunami but no source is known. The San Diego record was specifically checked for this time and date but no notes or obvious activity was seen.
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 | United States | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave 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 828.