September 21, 2026 Tsunami: Santa Catarina, Brazil
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Santa Catarina, Brazil on September 21, 2026. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- September 21, 2026
- Source
- Santa Catarina, Brazil
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Runups recorded
- 3
- 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.
Reference #14509:
A sudden rise in sea level caused flooding in Jaguaruna, Laguna, and Imbituba around 6:00 AM this Monday, the 21st, in an event associated with a meteorological tsunami.
The municipal Civil Defense teams from Jaguaruna, Laguna, and Imbituba are in the field assessing the affected areas. There are reports of roads with accumulated water and sand, damage to buildings, and boats swept away. So far, there are no reports of victims.
The confirmation came from the combined analysis of weather radars, satellite images, and tide gauge readings. An instability line was identified on the South Coast, with a band of clouds aligned with the rain front, which caused southerly wind gusts between 60 and 90 km/h. The wind activity, associated with changes in atmospheric pressure, coincided with the rapid rise in sea level around 6 am, recorded by the tide gauges in Imbituba and Laguna and by security cameras along the coastline.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguaruna, Santa Catarina | Brazil | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 21, 09:00 | ||||
| Laguna, Santa Catarina | Brazil | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 21, 09:00 | ||||
| Imbituba, Santa Catarina | Brazil | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 21, 09:00 |
More
Every tsunami in 2026The 2000sTsunamis of BrazilThis 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 2026-10-01. NCEI tsunami event 6188.