July 12, 2003 Tsunami: Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat on July 12, 2003. The water rose as high as 4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 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
- July 12, 2003
- Source
- Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Maximum water height
- 4 m (13.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.722° N, 62.180° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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 11:35 pm local time, July 12, a lava dome collapsed at the Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat. The large pyroclastic flow generated a tsunami recorded in Montserrat and Guadeloupe. Field surveys were conducted in 2003 by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and reported in Pelinovsky et. al (Reference #1705). Another group of surveys were conducted that detailed the tsunami effects. Please refer to the runup data for additional details.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Bay | Montserrat | 3 | 4 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Plage DE LA Perle | Guadeloupe | 61 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Deshaies, Basse-Terre Island | Guadeloupe | 62 | 1 | 25 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||
| Malendure | Guadeloupe | 75 | 0.46 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||
| Vieux Habitants | Guadeloupe | 87 | 0.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2003The 2000sTsunamis of MontserratThe eruptionThis 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 2694.