November 7, 2012 Tsunami: Guatemala
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Guatemala on November 7, 2012 at 16:35:46 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.35 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 4 countries. It killed 48 people, 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
- November 7, 2012, 16:35:46 UTC
- Source
- Guatemala
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 24 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.35 m (1.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 13.988° N, 91.895° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 48 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 155 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $210 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 2,769 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 7,561 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Chiapas | Mexico | 96 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Acajutla | El Salvador | 227 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 17:40 | ||
| Salina Cruz | Mexico | 429 | 0.22 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 18:56 | ||
| Huatulco | Mexico | 494 | 0.35 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 18:44 | ||
| Baltra Island | Ecuador | 1,605 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 19:22 | ||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 6,725 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 6,861 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2012The 2000sTsunamis 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 5468.