October 23, 1950 Tsunami: Guatemala
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Guatemala on October 23, 1950 at 16:13:20 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places in at least 3 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
- October 23, 1950, 16:13:20 UTC
- Source
- Guatemala
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 65 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 14.310° N, 91.917° W
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
1950, October 23, 10:13 [local time]. There was an earthquake at Guatemala causing heavy destruction at San Marcos. In 2.2 hours after the earthquake, the tide gauge at San Jose (Guatemala) registered a wave with an amplitude of 20 cm and a period of 15 minutes. There were barely noticeable oscillations an amplitude of less than 10 cm and a period of 30 minutes on the record of the tide gauge at La Union (El Salvador). The tsunami was not recorded by other tide gauges in Mexico and Central America, but was registered 9.3 hours later at Hilo, where it had a height of 10 cm and a period of 16 minutes. Gutenberg, Richter (1954): 23.X; 16h13m20s; 14 1/2 N, 91 1/2 W; M=7.1. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | Guatemala | 125 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 23, 18:25 | ||
| La Union | El Salvador | 456 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 6,713 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 24, 01:31 | ||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 6,988 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Allen, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 7,158 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1950The 1900sTsunamis of GuatemalaThe 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 1810.