Florida is known for its powerful hurricanes and thunderstorms, but some might not know that it’s been struck by tsunamis in the past.
This lack of a reputation might be well-deserved, as Florida has a much lower tsunami risk as compared to the West Coast of the U.S.
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While not common, there have been a handful of tsunamis in the state, with the NOAA tracking these incidents back to 1886.
Of these, the most powerful tsunamis observed in the state were caused by earthquakes in other areas nearby.
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For example, the 1886 wave was caused by an earthquake in South Carolina, and the wave extended all the way down to Florida.
According to the NOAA, rumors at the time spread “to the effect that Charleston and all the coast country had been swept away by a might tidal wave, and that the Florida peninsula had been snapped off rom the continent in a general cataclysm and fallen into the sea.”
Earthquake-generated tsunamis are typically stronger than meteotsunamis — large waves caused by storms — though meteotsunamis can still reach heights of over 6 feet.
The following are tsunami impacts observed in Florida, according to the NOAA’s data.
| Date | Locations Struck | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Florida, South Carolina | First reported tsunami on the U.S. East Coast. Caused by an earthquake in Charleston. A news article by the Florida Times Union reads, “There was a brief calm on the river, then a sudden wave dashed high over the beach, and a rumbling noise was hear. The earth and the houses shook like the leaves on the trees.” |
| 1946 | Daytona Beach | A powerful earthquake in the Dominican Republic triggered the wave, which killed around 1,800 people. It saw smaller impacts in Florida, with waves possibly reaching up to around 3 feet. |
| 1992 | Daytona Beach | The area was struck by a 10-foot-tall wave around midnight, injuring 75 people. Between 1,500 and 2,000 cars were parked on the beach when the waves struck, causing them to float, become jammed against the seawall or get stuck under the pier. The wave was explained as a “shallow-water gravity wave forced by a propagating squall line,” likely a meteotsunami. |
| 2020 | Panama City Beach | A roughly 3-foot-tall wave was spotted on April 23. |
| 2020 | Clearwater Beach | A roughly 3-foot-tall wave was spotted on June 13. |
| 2023 | Clearwater Beach | A 4-foot-wave caused by a meteotsunami struck on June 21. |
Many areas of Florida haven’t experienced any reported tsunamis, though coastal areas like Brevard County still offer information for residents on what to do if one strikes.
According to county officials, earthquakes in the following areas could result in a Florida tsunami.
- The Puerto Rico Trench — The boundary between the Caribbean, North American and South American tectonic plates. Since 1848, there have been eight tsunamis originating from here, causing over 2,500 deaths.
- Cumbre Vieja Volcano in the Canary Islands — There is a potential for an undersea landslide, which would create an Atlantic Ocean-wide tsunami, also known as a “teletsunami.”
- Azores-Gibraltar Fracture Zone — There is a potential earthquakes, causing Atlantic teletsunamis. A 1755 earthquake devastated Lisbon, Portugal and generated the only known Atlantic teletsunami.
But how likely is it that another tsunami could strike Florida’s coasts?
News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells provided the following answer:
Florida faces a minimal risk of tsunami strikes due to its low seismic activity. The predominant Earth movement in our region involves sinking rather than the plate-slipping motion associated with tsunamis. While there is a slightly higher possibility of a rogue wave, similar to the incident in Daytona Beach in ‘92, it remains extremely remote. Although not entirely ruled out, I would estimate the chances of a tsunami strike in the next 50 to 100 years to be around 1 to 2%, based on my unscientific opinion.
It's important to note that our primary concern lies in the potential catastrophic damage from a major landfalling hurricane, which poses a more significant threat than tsunamis. However, the Caribbean is recognized as a "Hot Zone" for earthquake activity, particularly around Hispaniola. Whenever the ground shakes in that region, we remain vigilant to ensure there is no need for a tsunami warning.
Contrary to previous concerns about massive waves originating from landslides off the coast of Portugal or other cliffs in Western Europe, recent estimates suggest that such events would likely generate waves peaking at 3 to 5 feet, significantly reducing the perceived risk to the U.S.
News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells
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