Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 17, 2026 — A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Chiapas shortly before 8:49 a.m. Friday, prompting emergency inspections across southern Mexico and a tsunami alert for portions of the country’s Pacific coastline.
For Puerto Vallarta, the initial federal tsunami model projected a sea-level variation of only two centimeters, or less than one inch. The Centro de Alerta de Tsunamis operated by the Mexican Navy estimated that the minor change could reach the bay at approximately 12:29 p.m.
The projection did not indicate a dangerous wave for Puerto Vallarta. However, the federal bulletin recommended that coastal authorities keep people away from beaches until the alert is formally canceled and warned that strong currents could develop near port entrances.
No separate evacuation order or beach closure for Puerto Vallarta had been announced by municipal or Jalisco authorities as of 9:50 a.m.
The tsunami model showed the greatest potential effect near the earthquake’s source in Chiapas, where abnormal sea-level changes of up to 1.05 meters were possible. Estimated variations included 60 centimeters at Barra Zacapulco, 49 centimeters near La Esperanza and El Boquerón, and 35 centimeters at Puerto Chiapas.
Those figures were computer-generated estimates, not measurements of waves that had already reached the coast. The Navy’s alert center uses preliminary earthquake information to estimate possible arrival times and water-level changes, then reviews tide-gauge data to determine whether follow-up or cancellation bulletins are needed.
The first epicenter estimates changed during the opening minutes of the response. The Navy’s 9:05 a.m. bulletin, using updated information from the Servicio Sismológico Nacional, placed the earthquake 135 kilometers southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Its coordinates placed the epicenter beneath the Pacific Ocean close to Mexico’s border region with Guatemala.
Mexico’s National Civil Protection Coordination opened communication with state and municipal emergency agencies and members of the National Emergency Committee to begin an assessment of the affected region.
Chiapas Civil Protection also activated monitoring protocols and inspection patrols. No official accounting of injuries or serious structural damage had been released during the first hour after the earthquake.
Reports of shaking came primarily from Chiapas and neighboring parts of southern Mexico and Central America. The shallow depth increased the likelihood of strong movement near the epicentral area, although the offshore location placed the most immediate concerns along the Chiapas coast.
The tsunami alert reflects the region’s history. A Navy planning document records that the magnitude-8.2 Chiapas earthquake of September 2017 generated a tsunami that reached up to 1.5 meters above sea level at Puerto Chiapas. Friday’s preliminary maximum estimate was lower, but still sufficient to require coastal monitoring near the epicenter.
The Chiapas earthquake occurred in a different section of Mexico’s Pacific seismic zone from the smaller offshore activity recently recorded near Jalisco. In May, the SSN registered a magnitude-4.2 earthquake more than 300 kilometers west of Puerto Vallarta.
The Navy’s alert center is expected to issue additional information after reviewing sea-level instruments along the Pacific coast. A cancellation bulletin will be released once abnormal variations and currents are no longer considered a threat.
Some outlets are reporting shaking in Mexico City, but our reporters in CDMX say no earthquake alarms were triggered and they did not report any shaking.
