May 2, 2020 Tsunami: Crete, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Crete, Greece on May 2, 2020 at 12:51:05 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.95 meters. Its effects were recorded at 15 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
- May 2, 2020, 12:51:05 UTC
- Source
- Crete, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6, 17 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.95 m (3.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 15
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 34.182° N, 25.710° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
A tsunami occurred a few hours ago in Ierapetra (Greece), south of Crete following an Mw6.6 earthquake in the Hellenic Trench; this is a dangerous tsunamigenic zone in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The tsunami is 20 cm high (see figure). (reference #12696)
Waves can be seen at Ierapetra (reference #12697)
President of the Organization for Earthquake Planning & Protection (OASP) Efthymios Lekkas told AMNA that the tsunami was initially triggered by the withdrawal of seawater about 20 minutes after the earthquake and that the phenomenon was been repeated 3-4 times. The change in the sea level was about half a meter. (reference #12698)
Not all (relatively frequent) earthquakes of this magnitude occuring to the south of Crete produce a tsunami. This earthquake produced a tsunami because the fault is shallow. (reference #12699)
On 2020 May 2, an Mw = 6.6 earthquake struck about 63 km south of Ierapetra in Crete, Greece. The earthquake generated a small tsunami which agitated local harbours [...] performed a field survey, three days after the event and present field observations from seven locations, including the island of Chrisi, where our highest measurement of 0.95 m was located. Runup along the coast of southern Crete ranged from 0.24 to 0.87 m (reference #13316)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrisi (Chrysi) South Beach | Greece | 76 | 0.61 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Chrisi (Chrysi) Islet | Greece | 77 | 0.35 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Chrisi (Chrysi) North Harbour | Greece | 77 | 0.95 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Ierapetra, Crete | Greece | 91 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 2, 13:08 | ||
| Ierapetra Harbour, Crete | Greece | 91 | 0.32 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Ierapetra, Crete | Greece | 92 | 0.25 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Arvi, Crete | Greece | 93 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Avri Harbour, Crete | Greece | 93 | 0.77 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Kastri, Crete | Greece | 96 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Kastri Harbour, Crete | Greece | 96 | 0.87 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Tsoutsouros West Beach, Crete | Greece | 97 | 0.56 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Tsoutsouros Harbour, Crete | Greece | 97 | 0.24 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Makry Gialos Beach, Crete | Greece | 98 | 0.35 | Runup height, post-tsunami survey | |||
| Kassos (Kasos) | Greece | 176 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 2, 13:39 | ||
| Alexandria | Egypt | 511 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2020The 2000sTsunamis of GreeceThe 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 5747.