November 18, 1954 Tsunami: Miyagi, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake began at Miyagi, Japan on November 18, 1954 at 20:44:55 UTC. 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
- November 18, 1954, 20:44:55 UTC
- Source
- Miyagi, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.1, 30 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.900° N, 142.200° E
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.
November 19, 1954, 05:44 Japan local time, 38.9 N, 142.2 E, magnitude 6.5, depth 30 km. Hachinohe, Ayukawa, Onahama tsunami recorded. (reference #150)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayukawa | Japan | 90 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 190 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Onahama | Japan | 246 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1954The 1900sTsunamis of JapanThe 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 1847.