May 6, 1952 Tsunami: Lake Huron, MI, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Lake Huron, MI, United States on May 6, 1952. The water rose as high as 1.52 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- May 6, 1952
- Source
- Lake Huron, MI, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 1.52 m (5.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 43.100° N, 82.400° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Location of source is approximate. The New York Times (Reference #1849) reported: "Port Huron, Mich., May 5 (UP) - A seiche, similar to a small tidal wave at sea, swept the shores of southern Lake Huron today, sending three walls of water over the banks...In this case, the weather bureau said an abrupt change in barometric pressure, accompanied by a driving wind and rainstorm, caused the phenomenon."
Lockridge et al. (Reference #541) suggested that the event might also have been produced by an offshore landslide. "Although this event was attributed to a rapid change in barometric pressure, it might have also been produced by an offshore landslide. (1952) Validity 1. Unknown tsunami cause."
A damaging storm surge struck much of the shore zones of Lakes Huron and Erie on the morning of May 5, 1952. The surge, which was associated with a moving atmospheric pressure-jump of average characteristics is explained on the basis of resonant coupling to both edge waves and gravity waves. The latter in turn created above-normal seiches in lake areas with appropriate dimensions and forms. A pronounced lag occurred between the surge and the generating air disturbance at places where lake parameters did not permit resonant coupling, with the surge arriving from regions where coupling was possible (reference #13832)
reference #12345 lists event as meterological origin and as a definite tsunami (4). (accessed July 2024)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Huron, MI, MI | United States | 15 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Lexington, MI, MI | United States | 21 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Harbor Beach, MI, MI | United States | 84 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1952The 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 2460.