February 20, 1933 Tsunami: Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4 earthquake began at Mexico on February 20, 1933 at 17:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.13 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- February 20, 1933, 17:00 UTC
- Source
- Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4
- Maximum water height
- 1.13 m (3.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 18.680° N, 104.820° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
At 11:00 a.m. (local time), an earthquake was felt in the city of Colima, causing panic in Villa de Alvarez, and was felt intensely in Tecoman. A tsunami that invaded the beaches of Zihuatanejo was reported to have swept away fishermen’s houses, and in Manzanillo some underground noises were heard “and unusual movements were noticed over the sea water.” The earthquake was also felt strongly in Cuyutlan where “a tidal wave washed the trash left by last earthquake” (El Informador, 1933a). Max height wave (m) 1.13 (reference #13627)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyutlan | Mexico | 84 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Zihuatanejo | Mexico | 354 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1933The 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 5899.