February 15, 2003 Tsunami: Samar Sea, Philippines
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and a landslide began at Samar Sea, Philippines on February 15, 2003 at 11:01:59 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. 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
- February 15, 2003, 11:01:59 UTC
- Source
- Samar Sea, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 12.168° N, 124.079° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
In the northwestern part of Ticao Island, there were reports of unusual waves. The PHIVOLCS team who investigated the earthquake attributed the tsunami to probable occurrence of localized underwater landslides (PHIVOLCS, 2003). Tsunami probability ranking is assessed as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be less than 1 m in Ticao. (reference #10958)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticao Island | Philippines | 72 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2003The 2000sTsunamis of PhilippinesThe 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 5995.