June 26, 1989 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake and a landslide began at Hawaii, United States on June 26, 1989 at 03:27:03 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.29 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
- June 26, 1989, 03:27:03 UTC
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 9 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.29 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 19.362° N, 155.083° 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.
A small tsunami was generated by a magnitude 6.1 Ms earthquake in Hawaii.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapoho, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 32 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 41 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honuapo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 58 | 0.29 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1989The 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 2186.