January 7, 2020 Tsunami: Puerto Rico, US Territories
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake began at Puerto Rico, US Territories on January 7, 2020 at 08:24:27 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.06 meters. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 4 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
- January 7, 2020, 08:24:27 UTC
- Source
- Puerto Rico, US Territories
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4, 6 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.06 m (0.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Warning
- Tsunami Information or Attention Bulletin issued by any agency
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 17.958° N, 66.811° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 4 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $800 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 300 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 1,390 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The earthquake of magnitude 6.4 of 7 January 2020 generated a small tsunami of centimeters (an inch) that was observed in the tide stations of Magueyes (Parguera) and La Esperanza (Vieques). This information was used by the #PTWC to confirm that there was no tsunami danger. In the case of the two stations the tsunami was observed about 18 minutes after the earthquake. (reference #12587)
The Magnitude 6.4 earthquake of January 7, 2020 in southwestern Puerto Rico (08:24:25 (UTC); 17.862°N 66.829°W and 7.4 km depth - USGS) generated a tsunami with a maximum amplitude of 6.3 centimeters (2.5 inches)[...]Additional data which supports that the waves observed at the sea level stations correspond to the coseismic displacement of the water column by the earthquakes is the Normal Fault mechanism determined by the USGS and the coseismic subsidence observed from radar images by NASA (Eric Fielding, 2020, personal communication). (reference #12701)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isla DE Magueyes, PR | US Territories | 25 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 08:42 | ||
| Mona Island, PR | US Territories | 120 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 08:48 | ||
| Esperanza, Vieques Island, PR | US Territories | 143 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 08:44 | ||
| Punta Cana | Dominican Republic | 176 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 09:05 | ||
| St. John: Lameshur Bay, VI | US Territories | 224 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 09:01 | ||
| St. Croix: Christiansted, VI | US Territories | 225 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 7, 08:53 |
More
Every tsunami in 2020The 2000sTsunamis of US TerritoriesThe 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 5736.