December 25, 1899 Tsunami: S. California, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at S. California, United States on December 25, 1899 at 12:25 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- December 25, 1899, 12:25 UTC
- Source
- S. California, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 33.800° N, 118.500° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Southern California apparently was caused by a shift in the San Jacinto fault. A high wave was reported in San Diego and Los Angeles. The event was not recorded on the San Diego tide gauge. The observer noted "rough water- strong northeast wind" on the record which showed heavy short period noise continuing past the 25th. The San Jacinto fault was 45 miles inland and could not have generated a wave directly. This is most likely a meterologically-induced wave incidental with the earthquake. (Reference #237)
There was a strong earthquake in Southern California, apparently caused by a shift along the San Jacinto fault on its highest mountainous section, several miles southeast of San Jacinto, where many large cave-ins occurred. Mile noted (1900) also, that a large high wave broke on the seacoast without doing any damage (Reference #415).
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Coast, CA | United States | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1899The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 1270.