December 9, 2005 Tsunami: British Columbia, Canada
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at British Columbia, Canada on December 9, 2005 at 01:57 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.08 meters. Its effects were recorded at 14 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
- December 9, 2005, 01:57 UTC
- Source
- British Columbia, Canada
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 0.08 m (0.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 14
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
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.
Unusual sea level measurements took place on 9 December 2005 along the entire coast of British Columbia (from Prince Rupert to Victoria, - 1000 km), and Washington State (from Neah Bay and Tacoma to Toke Point). No seismic events had occurred that could generate any noticeable tsunami were reported, and therefore the waves are ascribed to be of meteorological or atmospheric origin, and most probably a manifestation of high-frequency irregularities in atmospheric pressure as the weather was calm that day. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Winter Harbor, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Bamfield, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Tofino (Clayoquot),british Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Port Hardy, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Bella Bella, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Point Atkinson, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Vancouver, BC | Canada | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Patricia Bay, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Neah Bay, WA, WA | United States | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Port Townsend, WA, WA | United States | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Port Angeles, WA, WA | United States | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Tacoma, WA, WA | United States | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Friday Harbor, WA, WA | United States | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2005The 2000sTsunamis of CanadaThis 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 5611.