January 13, 2022 Tsunami: Tonga Islands
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Tonga Islands on January 13, 2022. The water rose as high as 0.15 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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 13, 2022
- Source
- Tonga Islands
- Cause
- Volcano
- Maximum water height
- 0.15 m (0.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 20.536° S, 175.382° W
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 Volcanic Eruption this morning and its ongoing eruption at the moment has led to the generation of small tsunami waves which was recorded in the Nuku'alofa tide gauge reading below as evidence of a small tsunami wave of up to 30 centimetres (cm) or 0.3 meters or equivalent of 1 feet (the size of a class 6 school ruler). (reference #13118)
The Tonga Meteorological Services (TMS) issued tsunami warnings for areas including ‘otu Mu’omu’a in Ha’apai (Nomuka, Mango, Fonoifua), ‘Atataa, ‘Eueiki, and Tongatapu mo ‘Eua. At 2000 [local time] on 14 January a tsunami with a height of 20 cm was recorded by the Nuku’olofa tide gauge. TMS warned residents to stay away from low-lying coastal areas, beaches, and harbors. (reference #13113)
The height of the tsunami wave recorded in Nuku’olofa tide gauge was 20 cm at 10pm tonight. (reference #13117)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nukualofa (Nuku'Alofa) | Tonga | 70 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 13, 16:00 |
More
Every tsunami in 2022The 2000sTsunamis of TongaThis 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 5827.