Panama Tsunami Webcam – Replay of the 7.7 Earthquake

The Panama Tsunami Webcam replay shows the Bay of Panama from high above the Cinta Costera in Panama City at the moment a magnitude 7.7 earthquake reached the capital on October 9, 2026. The three-minute clip, recorded from the Panama City Live Cam stream, runs from 12:55:32 to 12:58:32 pm local time. For over a minute the bay is calm, with heavy traffic on the coastal highway. Then the picture trembles, and soon the whole view rocks gently as the shaking arrives from the Azuero Peninsula, 207 km (128 miles) away. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center forecast hazardous waves for Panama that afternoon, but no tsunami came.

What the Panama Tsunami Webcam Replay Shows

The camera sits high above the Cinta Costera, the strip of reclaimed land that carries a coastal highway and parkland along the bay. A multi-lane road fills the left of the frame, with lawns, palms, an orange-roofed pavilion and sports courts between it and the water. A low, tree-lined causeway closes off a calm lagoon, and beyond it the towers curve out to a headland. The camera’s corner panel reads 12:57 pm on Friday, October 09, with 29 C (84 F).

The first movement shows about 1 minute 18 seconds into the clip, at 12:56:50 pm, some 44 seconds after the quake began. The picture trembles for about half a minute. From around 12:57:20 the whole frame sways slowly up and down, roughly once every five seconds, and it keeps swaying for more than a minute. The movement is slight, easiest to see against the edges of the towers. The replay is silent and loops.

About the Panama Earthquake of October 9, 2026

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 7.7, up from a first reading of 7.6, at 17:56:06 UTC. The epicenter lay 12 km (7.5 miles) west-southwest of the small community of Pitaloza Arriba in southern Herrera Province, on the Azuero Peninsula, about 55 km (34 miles) southwest of Chitre. At 12.6 km (7.8 miles) deep it was a shallow quake, and the USGS moment tensor points to mostly strike-slip faulting, where blocks of crust slide sideways past each other.

In Panama City buildings shook and hundreds of people evacuated into the streets, but no damage was reported in the capital. The worst damage was in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. A hotel and several homes collapsed in Tonosi, and videos from Penonome, in Cocle province, showed a Catholic cathedral collapsing. At least 27 people were injured, 17 of them in Cocle. More than 80 aftershocks followed, the largest a magnitude 6.6 at 20:25 UTC.

How the Tsunami Warning for Panama Ended

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu sent its first message at 18:01 UTC. Its 18:31 UTC update forecast waves of 1 to 3 meters (3.3 to 9.8 feet) above tide level for some coasts of Panama and 0.3 to 1 meter (1 to 3.3 feet) for some coasts of Ecuador, with less than 0.3 meters (1 foot) for coasts from Mexico to Chile. The National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska said at 18:19 UTC that there was no danger for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia or Alaska.

At 19:40 UTC, 1 hour 44 minutes after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had passed, and no tsunami was observed. A small tsunami often looks like a fast tide, hard to pick out from this height, so the bulletins on tsunami.gov stay the place to check after any large quake.

Panama’s Earthquake and Tsunami History

Panama has been hit by a tsunami before, from the Caribbean side. On September 7, 1882, an earthquake estimated at magnitude 7.9 to 8.3 struck off the San Blas Islands. Its tsunami reached a maximum run-up of 3 meters (10 feet), mostly on those islands, and killed 75 people, out of about 250 deaths from the quake as a whole.

Weather and Climate in Panama City

Panama City has a tropical savanna climate with two seasons rather than four: wet from May through November, when this quake struck, and dry from December through April. At Albrook Field the monthly mean peaks at 28.0 C (82.4 F) in April and dips to 26.6 C (79.9 F) in October and November. About 1,900 mm (74.8 inches) of rain falls in a typical year, so heavy cloud and showers can hide the towers in the wet months. On the afternoon of the quake the bay lay in sunshine under scattered cloud.

Things to Do Near the Cinta Costera

Casco Viejo, the old quarter at the end of the Cinta Costera, and the ruins of Panama Viejo, the first Spanish city on the Pacific coast of the Americas, founded in 1519, together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Farther out, the Amador Causeway runs along the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal on rock excavated during the canal’s construction, and the Biomuseo, designed by Frank Gehry and completed in 2014, stands on it.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Three more cams for following Panama and the Pacific coast:

• Panama Canal Webcam
• El Valle de Anton Webcam
• Hilo Bay Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Panama Tsunami Webcam replay show?

Three minutes of the Bay of Panama from above the Cinta Costera on October 9, 2026. The view trembles from 12:56:50 pm and then sways slowly as the shaking passes.

How strong was the Panama earthquake on October 9, 2026?

Magnitude 7.7, according to the USGS, at 12:56 pm local time and 12.6 km (7.8 miles) deep. It was felt strongly in Panama City, 207 km (128 miles) from the epicenter.

Was there a tsunami in Panama after the earthquake?

No. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center forecast waves of 1 to 3 meters (3.3 to 9.8 feet) for some coasts of Panama, then said at 19:40 UTC that the threat had passed. No tsunami was observed.

Was Panama City damaged in the earthquake?

No damage was reported in the capital, though hundreds of people evacuated. The worst damage was in Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos.

Can a live webcam show a tsunami coming?

Only sometimes. A large tsunami is obvious as it floods a shore, but a smaller one can look like a fast tide. Official warnings come from seismic stations, tide gauges and ocean sensors, so never wait for a webcam before moving to high ground.

Was Panama City Beach in Florida affected by the Panama earthquake?

No. Panama City Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, and the forecasts for this quake covered Pacific coasts from Mexico to Chile. For the Florida beach, see the Panama City Beach Webcam.

Has Panama had a tsunami before?

Yes. The 1882 earthquake off the San Blas Islands on the Caribbean coast sent a tsunami with a run-up of up to 3 meters (10 feet) onto the islands and killed 75 people.

Is the Panama City webcam still live?

Yes. The same camera streams around the clock on the Panama City Live Cam channel on YouTube. This page keeps the replay of the moment the October 9 quake reached the city.

Source: Panama City Live Cam