July 27, 2026 Tsunami: Lake Michigan, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Lake Michigan, United States on July 27, 2026. The water rose as high as 0.41 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 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
- July 27, 2026
- Source
- Lake Michigan, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 0.41 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Probable 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.
[…] the southward-movement of the thunderstorms along the Lake Michigan shoreline led to a seiche and possible meteotsunami. USGS river gauges on the Portage Burns Waterway and Chicago Lock reported multiple water fluctuations up to 2.7 feet in 20 to 30 minutes. Possible meteotsunami on July 27: East Chicago, IN; Chicago Lock, IL; Ogden Dunes Porter, IN; Waukegan, IL. (reference #14491)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Harbor Canal, IN | United States | 0.41 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 27, 18:30 | |||
| Chicago Lock, IL | United States | 0.41 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Portage Burns Waterway, IN | United States | 0.41 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 27, 19:00 | |||
| Waukegan Harbor, IL | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2026The 2000sTsunamis 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 6187.