September 1774 Tsunami: Newfoundland, Canada
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Newfoundland, Canada in September 1774. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 300 people.
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 1774
- Source
- Newfoundland, Canada
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2.8
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
The toll
- Deaths
- 300
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.
Stevens and Staveley [NGDC reference #3054] state: "Two research papers published in the 1930s referred to an alleged earthquake and tidal wave near Newfoundland in the 18th century that was said to have killed several hundred persons. From time to time someone asks why this event has not been included in any Canadian earthquake history, such as the one by Smith (1962), although it has occasionally appeared elsewhere in a listing of Atlantic Coast earthquakes or tsunamis (Berninghausen. 1968)."
D. W. Prowse (reference #3057) refers to the year 1775 and states: "The year before the outbreak of the American War was remarkable for a terrific storm at sea, which destroyed a vast amount of fishing property. The water rose suddenly twenty feet above its usual level; this great tidal wave caused immense destruction, both by land and sea, and three hundred persons along our coast lost their lives. It is known in Newfoundland annals as the "Year of the Great Storm."
A letter from the Governor of Newfoundland, Robert Duff, dated November 14, 1775 is reprinted in Stevens and Staveley (reference #3054, p. 1400). The Governor refers to the storm as occurring in September of that year.
Stevens and Stavely concludes that the event of assigned to 1774 actually occurred on 12 September 1775. They write: "This event was not an earthquake nor a tsunami associated with a major earthquake offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. The deaths and property damage were related to an extraordinary severe meteorological storm in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Newfoundland, which caused the loss of numerous fishing boats and their crews and damage to vessels and fishing works along the coasts. Most, if not all, of the deaths occurred at sea."
Previous references that implied this event was a tsunami:
Reference #1823: In 1774 a heavy tidal wave swept the southeast peninsula of Newfoundland and caused over 300 deaths.
Reference #43: A tsunami swept the southern peninsulas and caused over 300 deaths. (Reference #43 lists reference #1823 as the source.)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Peninsulas, Newfoundland, NL | Canada | Eyewitness observation of water height | 300 |
More
Every tsunami in 1774The 1700sTsunamis of CanadaThe earthquakeAlerts 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 510.