November 1, 1946 Tsunami: Andreanof Islands, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Andreanof Islands, AK, United States on November 1, 1946 at 11:14:24 UTC. 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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- November 1, 1946, 11:14:24 UTC
- Source
- Andreanof Islands, AK, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 40 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 51.500° N, 174.500° W
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.
1946, November 1, 11:14 GMT. There was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the Near Islands, Aleutian Islands. In Hawaii, police were dispatched to the northeast coast of Oahu to watch for a wave reported in the pre-dawn - the sea had risen almost over the highway at 5 A.M. However, Cox and Morgan (1977) report that this was about 19 minutes before the expected first arrival. The tide gage at Honolulu did no record any activity, nor were there any reports from Alaska or elsewhere. This is a doubtful tsunami report. Validity 1 (Reference #239).
1946, November 1, 1:15 local time. There was a strong earthquake near the Aleutian Islands. At about the expected time, observers on the Hawaiian Islands supposedly noted a small rise in sea level (Reference #414).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Beach, Oahu, HI, HI doubtful | United States | 3,657 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1946The 1900sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThis 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 2026-10-01. NCEI tsunami event 1768.