Tsunami History & Live Alerts
Search NOAA's global historical tsunami database — centuries of recorded events with wave heights, causes, and impacts — by country or coastal location. Live U.S. tsunami alert status loads automatically.
Understanding Tsunamis: History as a Guide to Risk
The historical records on this page come from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information Global Historical Tsunami Database — the most complete public record of tsunami events, stretching back centuries and documenting wave heights, causes, casualties, and damage. Live alert status comes from the National Weather Service, which operates the U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers.
What Actually Causes Tsunamis
Most destructive tsunamis are triggered by large undersea earthquakes — which is why our Earthquake tool and this page are close cousins. But the database also records tsunamis caused by volcanic eruptions, underwater landslides, and even meteorological events. Wave height at the shore varies enormously with coastal shape: the same event can produce a barely noticeable surge on one coastline and a devastating wall of water in a funnel-shaped bay a hundred miles away.
U.S. Tsunami Risk Isn't Hypothetical
Search "USA" or "Alaska" in the database above and the record speaks for itself. The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake sent waves that killed people as far away as Crescent City, California — a town struck by damaging tsunamis repeatedly due to its unlucky seafloor geometry. Hawaii has been hit from earthquakes originating in Chile, Japan, and the Aleutians. The Pacific Northwest's Cascadia Subduction Zone produced a massive tsunami in 1700 and will again. If you live on or are moving to a Pacific coastline, know your evacuation zone — most coastal communities publish maps, and the difference between safety and danger is usually just a few minutes of walking uphill.
The Warning Signs That Don't Need Technology
Official alerts save lives, but nature often gives its own: strong coastal shaking, a sudden loud ocean roar, or the sea visibly withdrawing from the shore are all signals to move to high ground immediately — don't wait for sirens. For the full hazard picture of any area, pair this page with our Flood and Weather tools, and see our Data & Methodology page for our sources.