August 22, 1949 Tsunami: British Columbia, Canada
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake and a landslide began at British Columbia, Canada on August 22, 1949 at 04:01:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.61 meters. Its effects were recorded at 9 places.
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
- August 22, 1949, 04:01:00 UTC
- Source
- British Columbia, Canada
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.1, 25 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.61 m (2.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 9
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 53.600° N, 133.300° 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.
There was a strong earthquake with source in the region of the Queen Charlotte Islands. It was felt from Portland to the south of Alaska. A tidal wave was observed at Ketchikan, Sitka, and Hilo (Reference #415).
Tide records for this event were not found [for Canada, B.C.]. (reference #4153)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ketchikan, AK, AK | United States | 221 | 0.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Knutson Cove, AK, AK | United States | 241 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Revillagigedo Island, AK, AK | United States | 247 | 0.61 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Wrangell, AK, AK | United States | 325 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Blue Lake, Baranof Island, AK, AK | United States | 404 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Sitka, AK, AK doubtful | United States | 406 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 4,146 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Allen, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 4,161 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 4,195 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 09:19 |
More
Every tsunami in 1949The 1900sTsunamis of CanadaThe 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 1795.