March 25, 2020 Tsunami: N. Kuril Islands, Russia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at N. Kuril Islands, Russia on March 25, 2020 at 02:49:21 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.25 meters. Its effects were recorded at 16 places in at least 4 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
- March 25, 2020, 02:49:21 UTC
- Source
- N. Kuril Islands, Russia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 58 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.25 m (0.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 16
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 48.964° N, 157.696° 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.
The earthquake generated a ~0.50 m tsunami that was visually observed arriving at 0354 Z (65 min later) near Paramushir Island, and instrumentally observed (few cm) at Wake and Midway. (reference #12685)
On March 25, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 near the island of Paramushir (Kuril Islands) caused a weak tsunami in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands [...] Unfortunately, there was a large storm at sea at this time, and the amplitudes of tsunami waves and storm waves were comparable to each other (reference #13021)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severo-Kurilsk, Paramushir Island | Russia | 222 | 0.25 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 25, 03:54 | ||
| Vodopadnaya, Kamchatka | Russia | 308 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| D21416, Kamchatka | Russia | 426 | 0.03 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 03:16 | ||
| D21419 Bpr, 209 NM S of Kuril Is | Russia | 526 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 03:24 | ||
| D21415 Bpr, 175 NM S of Attu, AK, AK | United States | 1,037 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 03:59 | ||
| Midway Islands, HI | US Territories | 3,138 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Wake Island, UM | US Territories | 3,388 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Henslung Cove, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 4,643 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Haleiwa, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 4,933 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 5,102 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 08:54 | ||
| Winter Harbor, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 5,125 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 5,297 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 09:39 | ||
| Tofino (Clayoquot),british Columbia, BC | Canada | 5,332 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ucluelet, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 5,366 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Bamfield, British Columbia, BC | Canada | 5,399 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Crescent City, CA, CA | United States | 5,899 | 0.11 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 25, 11:31 |
More
Every tsunami in 2020The 2000sTsunamis of RussiaThe 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 5746.