#Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i observes Tsunami Awareness Month in April to remember the April 1, 1946 tsunami that was generated by a large earthquake in the Aleutian Islands. With no tsunami warning system then, the tsunami arrived unexpectedly, resulting in 159 fatalities in Hawaiʻi.

When an earthquake strikes in Hawaiʻi, there are three agencies that analyze the earthquake for its location and magnitude. Typically, the earliest earthquake information will be from automated solutions generated by computer algorithms from PTWC and HVO. Human analysts from HVO and NEIC will then review the magnitude-2.5 or larger earthquakes to get a more accurate magnitude and location.

Earthquake activity has increased in Kīlauea’s middle East Rift Zone, near Makaopuhi Crater. Ground deformation patterns west (uprift) of Puʻuʻōʻō suggest that another intrusive event could be occurring in this region, but scientists with the Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory say Kīlauea is not erupting at this time.

A preliminary magnitude 4.7 earthquake was reported at 12:52 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024 about 9 miles south of Fern Forest on the South Flank of the Kīlauea Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement saying there was no tsunami expected, however some areas may have experienced shaking.

There is no tsunami expected following a 4.1(4.4 preliminary) magnitude earthquake reported at 8:48 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2024 on the south flank of the Kīlauea Volcano. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports there is no tsunami expected, however some areas may have experienced shaking.

“April 1—April Fool’s Day—78 years ago a magnitude 8.6 earthquake from the Aleutian Islands generated a tsunami that took about four-and-a-half hours to hit our state,” said Laura Kong, Ph.D., director of International Tsunami Information Center. “By 6:30 a.m., waves that would reach 53 feet on the Big Island, 33 feet on Maui, 54 feet on Molokaʻi, 35 feet on Oʻahu and 45 feet on Kauaʻi, began to arrive.” The event resulted in $340 million in damage and the loss of nearly 159 people in the state, 96 in Hilo.

Emergency management partners across the state are promoting public awareness and preparedness in recognition of April being Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawai‘i.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawai’i following a 7.4 moment earthquake reported off the west coast of Honshu, Japan at 9:10 p.m. HST on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi following a (preliminary 4.3) 4.4 magnitude earthquake reported at 3:17 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 off the Kaʻū coast of the Big Island.

There is no tsunami following a 4.4 (4.2 preliminary) magnitude earthquake reported at 5:17 p.m. in the Summit Region of the Kīlauea Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck in the Bali Sea, off the coast of Indonesia.

Locally generated tsunamis are why we must always be prepared. A local tsunami strikes fast and with little time for us to react—devastating waves can travel across the Hawaiian island chain in minutes, and not just in the month of April. If there is a strong earthquake and you are at a location along the coast, “Don’t Fool Around. Get to High Ground!”

A magnitude-4.5 earthquake reported at around 12:43 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, is part of a seismic swarm under the Pāhala area that has been ongoing since 2019.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi after a preliminary 6.6 magnitude earthquake reported at 10:21 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, South of the Fiji Islands.

The Maui County Emergency Management Agency reports this morning that tsunami waves lifted a boat from its moorings in Mānele Harbor, Lānaʻi, and washed debris ashore in the East Maui area of Hāna, closing a road near Hāmoa Beach Park. Assessment of impacts is ongoing.

There is no tsunami expected after a 4.6 (preliminary magnitude 4.4) earthquake reported at 8:37 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 in the SW rift zone of the Kīlauea volcano on Hawaiʻi Island.

There is NO tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi following a preliminary magnitude 7.4 earthquake reported at 3:48 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 in Guerrero Mexico.

An 80-acre parcel of surplus federal property at the former NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center on O‘ahu is being transferred for inclusion in the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust. The land has the potential to provide homesteads for 200 to 400 Native Hawaiian families.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake reported at 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 southeast of Loyalty Islands.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaii after a 6.9 (preliminary magnitude 7.3) earthquake reported at 4:50 p.m. HST on Thursday, July 16, 2020 in the Eastern New Guinea region of Papua New Guinea.