August 1, 1781 Tsunami: Unknown Location, Jamaica
A tsunami probably caused by an earthquake began at Unknown Location, Jamaica on August 1, 1781. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- August 1, 1781
- Source
- Unknown Location, Jamaica
- Cause
- Questionable earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 18.100° N, 77.300° W
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.
"Grases (Reference #124), citing Henderson's "Jamaica Almanac for 1852" (Reference #518), reported that a series of waves and disastrous earthquakes nearly ruined the island of Jamaica. No other reports of earthquakes could be found for this day, but a major hurricane is reported. Not reported in Hall (Reference #494)." (Lander et al., Reference #537)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Location | Jamaica | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1781The 1700sTsunamis of JamaicaThe earthquakeThis 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 530.