December 16, 1921 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Hawaii, United States on December 16, 1921. 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
- December 16, 1921
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- 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.
Probable strong storm waves caused some damage at Hilo and were erroneously ascribed to a tsunami (Reference #236).
According to unconfirmed sources, there was a tsunami on the Hawaiian Islands. [Possibly the consequence of the strong earthquake on Guam Island] (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1921The 1900sTsunamis 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 1493.