NOAA / NCEI
Historical tsunamis
904 confirmed tsunamis from the NOAA/NCEI database with wave heights, death tolls, arrival times and observation sites – from antiquity to today.
Map of observation sites
Tsunami source locations; colour and size show the highest documented water height. Click to open the event.
The deadliest tsunamis
| Date | Location / station | Magnitude | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Observation records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2010, 9:53 PM UTC |  HaitiHaiti & Dominican Republic | 7.0 | 3.21 m | 316,000 | 25 |
| Dec 26, 2004, 12:58 AM UTC |  IndonesiaOff W. Coast of Sumatra | 9.1 | 50.9 m | 227,899 | 2155 |
| Sep 1, 1923, 2:58 AM UTC |  JapanSagami Bay | 7.9 | 13.0 m | 105,385 | 118 |
| Dec 28, 1908, 4:20 AM UTC |  ItalyMessina Strait, Ionian Sea | 7.0 | 13.0 m | 80,000 | 87 |
| November 1033 |  SyriaAkko | — | — | 70,000 | 5 |
| May 31, 1970, 8:23 PM UTC |  PeruN. Peru | 7.9 | 0.46 m | 66,794 | 15 |
| Apr 10, 1815 | IndonesiaTambora | — | 4.00 m | 60,000 | 5 |
| Feb 6, 2023, 1:17 AM UTC |  TurkeyGulf of Iskenderun | 7.8 | 0.30 m | 56,697 | 17 |
| Jan 11, 1693, 1:30 PM UTC | ItalyIsland of Sicily | 7.4 | 12.0 m | 54,000 | 10 |
| Nov 1, 1755, 9:30 AM UTC |  PortugalLisbon | 8.5 | 18.3 m | 50,000 | 123 |
| Aug 27, 1883, 2:59 AM UTC | IndonesiaKrakatau | — | 41.0 m | 36,417 | 99 |
| Dec 26, 1939, 11:57 PM UTC | TurkeySouth Black Sea | 7.8 | 0.50 m | 32,700 | 12 |
| Feb 5, 1783, 12:00 PM UTC | ItalyTyrrhenian Calabria | 6.9 | — | 30,000 | 9 |
| December 1530 | PortugalTagus River, Lisbon | 7.7 | — | 30,000 | 1 |
| April 1202 | SyriaSouthwestern Syria | 7.6 | — | 30,000 | 3 |
| Jun 15, 1896, 10:33 AM UTC | JapanSanriku | 8.3 | 38.2 m | 27,122 | 72 |
| Aug 13, 1868, 9:30 PM UTC |  ChileNorthern Chile | 8.5 | 18.0 m | 25,000 | 118 |
| Feb 4, 1976, 9:01 AM UTC |  GuatemalaGuatemala | 7.5 | 0.12 m | 23,000 | 1 |
| Mar 11, 2011, 5:46 AM UTC | JapanHonshu Island | 9.1 | 39.3 m | 18,423 | 6406 |
| Aug 17, 1999, 12:01 AM UTC | TurkeyKocaeli, Turkey | 7.6 | 2.52 m | 17,118 | 26 |
The highest documented waves
| Date | Location / station | Magnitude | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Observation records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1958, 6:15 AM UTC |  United StatesSE. Alaska, Ak | 7.8 | 524.6 m | 5 | 17 |
| Aug 10, 2025, 1:26 PM UTC | United StatesTracy Arm, Ak | — | 481.0 m | — | 178 |
| May 18, 1980 | United StatesWashington | — | 250.0 m | 61 | 2 |
| Oct 9, 1963, 9:39 PM UTC | ItalyVajont Dam, Vajont River | — | 235.0 m | 2,000 | 3 |
| Sep 16, 2023, 12:35 PM UTC |  GreenlandDickson Fjord, Greenland | — | 200.0 m | — | 5 |
| Oct 18, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC | United StatesTaan Fjord, Ak | — | 193.0 m | — | 316 |
| Oct 27, 1936, 3:50 PM UTC | United StatesLituya Bay, Ak | — | 149.4 m | — | 1 |
| Oct 13, 2000, 10:58 AM UTC |  EcuadorAltar Volcano | — | 125.0 m | 13 | — |
| 1853 | United StatesLituya Bay, Ak | — | 120.0 m | some (about 51–100) | 1 |
| Feb 17, 1674, 11:30 AM UTC | IndonesiaBanda Sea | 6.8 | 100.0 m | 2,330 | 27 |
| Dec 11, 2018, 4:48 AM UTC |  RussiaBureya, Far Eastern Russia | — | 90.0 m | — | 49 |
| Jun 17, 2017, 11:39 PM UTC | GreenlandKarrat Fjord, Greenland | — | 90.0 m | 4 | 5 |
| Aug 29, 1741 | JapanW. Hokkaido Island | 6.9 | 90.0 m | 2,000 | 63 |
| 1610 BC |  GreeceThera Island (Santorini) | — | 90.0 m | many (about 101–1,000) | 2 |
| Aug 6, 1788 | United StatesShumagin Islands, Ak | 8.0 | 88.0 m | many (about 101–1,000) | 3 |
The most recent tsunamis
| Date | Location / station | Magnitude | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Observation records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2026, 9:58 PM UTC | IndonesiaFlores Sea | 7.7 | 2.92 m | 156 | 44 |
| Jul 17, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC |  MexicoS. Mexico | 7.3 | 0.34 m | — | 6 |
| Jun 24, 2026, 10:05 PM UTC |  VenezuelaNorthwest Venezuela | 7.5 | 0.04 m | 6,509 | 4 |
| Jun 7, 2026, 11:37 PM UTC |  PhilippinesMindanao Island, Philippines | 7.8 | 2.50 m | 107 | 40 |
| Apr 20, 2026, 7:53 AM UTC | JapanOff Northeast Coast Honshu | 7.4 | 0.80 m | — | 24 |
| Apr 1, 2026, 10:48 PM UTC | IndonesiaMolucca Sea | 7.4 | 0.75 m | 1 | 13 |
| Jan 2, 2026, 1:58 PM UTC | MexicoAcapulco | 6.5 | 0.05 m | 2 | 1 |
| Dec 12, 2025, 2:44 AM UTC | JapanOff Northeast Coast Honshu | 6.7 | 0.20 m | — | 3 |
| Dec 8, 2025, 2:15 PM UTC | JapanOff Northeast Coast Honshu | 7.6 | 0.70 m | — | 19 |
| Nov 9, 2025, 8:03 AM UTC | JapanSanriku | 6.8 | 0.20 m | — | 4 |
| Oct 10, 2025, 1:43 AM UTC | PhilippinesMindanao Island, Philippines | 7.4 | 0.30 m | 10 | 6 |
| Sep 18, 2025, 6:58 PM UTC | RussiaKamchatka Peninsula, Russia | 7.8 | 0.31 m | — | 33 |
| Sep 13, 2025, 2:37 AM UTC | RussiaKamchatka Peninsula, Russia | 7.4 | 0.10 m | — | 4 |
| Aug 22, 2025, 2:16 AM UTC |  AntarcticaDrake Passage | 7.5 | 0.17 m | — | 5 |
| Aug 10, 2025, 1:26 PM UTC | United StatesTracy Arm, Ak | — | 481.0 m | — | 178 |
| Jul 29, 2025, 11:24 PM UTC | RussiaKamchatka Peninsula, Russia | 8.8 | 17.0 m | 1 | 929 |
| Jul 16, 2025, 8:37 PM UTC | United StatesSand Point, Ak | 7.3 | 0.10 m | — | 2 |
| May 2, 2025, 12:58 PM UTC | ChileSouthern Chile | 7.4 | 0.14 m | — | 3 |
| Apr 23, 2025, 9:49 AM UTC | TurkeyMarmara Sea | 6.2 | 0.06 m | — | 5 |
| Mar 30, 2025, 12:18 PM UTC |  TongaTonga | 7.0 | 0.05 m | — | 2 |
Tsunamis by source country
Algeria5- Antarctica3
Australia3
Canada11- Chile38
China5
Costa Rica5- Ecuador4
- Greece27
- Greenland6
Guadeloupe3- Guatemala4
- Haiti6
Honduras4
India3- Indonesia74
- Italy25
- Japan229
Martinique4- Mexico29
Montserrat4
New Caledonia15
New Zealand28
Norway17
Papua New Guinea30- Peru17
- Philippines26
- Portugal6
- Russia58
Samoa7
Solomon Islands27
Spain3
Taiwan12- Tonga12
- Turkey12
Ukraine4- United States68
Vanuatu16- Venezuela5
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.