Scientists have identified the USA’s three most lethal tsunami risk zones, and millions of people live directly in the path of destruction. The Pacific Northwest, East Coast, and Gulf Coast face different levels of catastrophic dangers from these towering ocean waves. These aren’t distant threats and are ticking time bombs triggered by earthquakes, underwater landslides, and rising seas.

What Turns Normal Ocean Into a Killer Wave

Tsunamis are nothing like regular beach waves. These massive killer waves start when something enormous moves underwater: earthquakes, landslides, or volcanoes. They race across oceans at speeds up to 500 miles per hour, moving water from the ocean floor to the surface. Out in the deep ocean, These massive waves look deceptively calm, but when they hit shallow water near coastlines, they grow taller and more destructive. Their speed depends on water depth, not distance traveled. Tsunamis are NOT tidal waves.

Pacific Northwest – USA’s Highest Tsunami Danger Risk Zone

Washington, Oregon, and Northern California sit directly above a 700-mile underwater fault line called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The last time this geological giant released its power was January 26, 1700, creating waves so overwhelming big they crossed the entire Pacific Ocean and hit coastal Japan. Scientists believe there’s a 10 – 14% chance of another magnitude 9.0+ earthquake happening within the next 50 years. These waves could reach between 30 to 100 feet high, obliterating everything in their path. When these powerful earthquakes cause coastal land to suddenly drop several feet, the disastrous flooding becomes much worse of a problem, leaving communities trapped below sea level.