January 5, 2013 Tsunami: SE. Alaska, AK, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and a landslide began at SE. Alaska, AK, United States on January 5, 2013 at 08:58:15 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 8 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
- January 5, 2013, 08:58:15 UTC
- Source
- SE. Alaska, AK, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 9 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 8
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 55.228° N, 134.859° 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.
reference #10417 indicates a slides/avalanches triggered by the earthquake generated a separate tsunami.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig, AK, AK | United States | 113 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Alexander, AK, AK | United States | 114 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 09:20 | ||
| Deer Lake, AK, AK | United States | 144 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Lake Betty, AK, AK | United States | 144 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Henslung Cove, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 166 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 09:28 | ||
| Sitka, AK, AK | United States | 205 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 09:45 | ||
| Lake Dorothy, AK, AK | United States | 339 | Other | ||||
| Elfin Cove, AK, AK | United States | 343 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 09:58 |
More
Every tsunami in 2013The 2000sTsunamis of United StatesThe 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 5472.