Small tsunami hit Hilo Thursday
The largest local wave resulting from the Peru earthquake was 27 inches
Had it come in daylight, the minitsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands might have been noticeable at Hilo and Kahului.
But the biggest local wave generated Wednesday by an earthquake in Peru was only 27 inches high when it hit Hilo at 2:20 a.m. Thursday, said Dailin Wang, a Pacific Tsunami Warning Center oceanographer.
The center had issued an advisory at 2:20 p.m. Hawaii time Wednesday that it was evaluating the potential threat from the 1:40 p.m. Pisco, Peru, quake.
Although the earthquake measured 8 on the Richter scale, by 4:10 p.m. Wednesday the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center advised that Hawaii would not get a significant tsunami from it, Wang said. "Hawaii was never in the warning area," he said, just under an advisory.
"We've got to balance between a real warning and a false warning," Wang said.
The prediction was good, Wang said, as wave measurements for Hawaiian islands on Thursday showed:
» Hilo had the largest wave at 27 inches. Additional tsunamis continued every 17 minutes for a day, though by noon Thursday the wave size had dropped to 7 inches.
» Kahului's largest wave was about 23 inches.
» Honolulu Harbor's largest wave was only 3 to 4 inches.
» On Kauai, Nawiliwili Harbor's largest wave was 3 inches.
Thursday's tsunamis fell within the range of tidal fluctuation for Hawaii's harbors, Wang said. However, the larger waves would have been visible at Kahului or Hilo because they moved in at 17-minute intervals -- not gradually like a tide change, he said.
However, Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said he did not expect that anyone was at Hilo Harbor to notice.
Hilo keeps a particular vigilance for tsunamis, having experienced a 46-foot wave April 1, 1946, and a May 22, 1960, tsunami that killed 61 people.
"I have confidence in the PTWC (Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)," Kim said.
"When they say 'Cancel it' (of the advisory) and put out an announcement to expect water-level fluctuations, I wasn't too concerned about it, because of the hour" the waves were to reach Hawaii, Kim said. "We just say 'thank you' and go home."
