March 20, 2019 Tsunami: Nagasaki, Japan
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Nagasaki, Japan on March 20, 2019. The water rose as high as 2.9 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- March 20, 2019
- Source
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 2.9 m (9.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
The large amplified secondary oscillation, locally called abiki, observed in Kyushu and San-in coastal area on 20 and 21 March 2019. as passed the extratropical cyclone [...] inundation damages by abiki phenomenon over the urban area of Nagasaki [...] water level as high as 2.3-2.6 m above Tokyo Peil (T.P.) in the downtown of Nagasaki, and 2.9 m T.P. in the downstream site of Urakami River. There seemed to be two-staged mechanisms of inundation in Nagasaki city: the backward flow through the culverts in the first stage, and the overflow frrom small rivers in the second stage. (reference #12970)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagasaki | Japan | 2.3 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | ||||
| Urakami River, Nagasaki | Japan | 2.9 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey |
More
Every tsunami in 2019The 2000sTsunamis of JapanThis 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 5789.