September 16, 1994 Tsunami: Taiwan Strait
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake began at Taiwan Strait on September 16, 1994 at 06:20:18 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.24 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 1 person, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- September 16, 1994, 06:20:18 UTC
- Source
- Taiwan Strait
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.7, 13 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.24 m (0.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 22.528° N, 118.711° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 400 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100) 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.
1994 Sept 16. Southern Taiwan (22.5N, 118.7E) earthquake of Ms 6.4 triggered tsunami. (reference #12988)
1994 Sept 16. [...] the 1994 local earthquake near Dongshan in Fujian Province also generated a tsunami that affected both the Chinese and Taiwanese coasts at Dongshan and Penghu respectively (reference #8575)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peng-Hu | Taiwan | 144 | 0.19 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Dongshan, Fujian Province | China | 185 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Shantou | China | 220 | 0.24 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1994The 1900sTsunamis of TaiwanThe 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 5804.