June 18, 1932 Tsunami: Central Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Central Mexico on June 18, 1932 at 10:12:33 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- June 18, 1932, 10:12:33 UTC
- Source
- Central Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 15 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 19.081° N, 103.631° W
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1932, June 18. After the earthquake, small tidal waves were observed at Manzanillo. A tsunami was registered at Hilo with an amplitude of 10 cm. (reference #415)
1932, June 18. Mexico, Manzanillo. Small tidal wave. (reference #132)
1932, June 18. Small tsunami at Manzanillo. (reference #82)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manzanillo | Mexico | 74 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,380 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1932The 1900sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 1651.