November 1, 1957 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Hawaii, United States on November 1, 1957 at 05:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 2 countries.
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 1, 1957, 05:00 UTC
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -3
- 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.
1957, November 1, 05:00. At 7:00 P.M. October 31, oscillations with an amplitude of 0.10 m and period of 12 minutes began on Midway Island. Oscillations with an
amplitude of less than 0.10 m and a period of 14 minutes began at Nawiliwili; oscillations with an amplitude of about 0.1 m and periods of 21, 25, and 27 minutes, respectively, began at Honolulu, Kahului, and Hilo.
There was no earthquake. This event is considered by most to be of meteorological origin. (reference #236)
1957, October 31. At 19:00, oscillations with an amplitude of 10 and a period of 12 minutes began on Midway Island. Oscillations with an amplitude of less than 10 cm and a period of 14 minutes began at Nawiliwili; oscillations with an amplitude of about 10 cm and
periods of 21, 25 and 27 minutes respectively began at Honolulu, Kahului and Hilo. There was no earthquake. Apparently, the oscillations were of meteorological origin (Iida et al., 1967; Pararas-Carayannis, 1969). [At 10h 07m, there was an earthquake off the coast of Panama.] (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 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Midway Islands, HI | US Territories | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1957The 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 1876.