August 10, 1802 Tsunami: SW England, United Kingdom
A tsunami of unknown cause began at SW England, United Kingdom on August 10, 1802. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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 10, 1802
- Source
- SW England, United Kingdom
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Sea rise and fall at Teignmouth. (reference #4139)
There are several reports in south west England indicating turbulent waters for either 9th or 10th August 1802 that was originally suggested as being due to a distant earthquake. With rises and falls of 35cm at Weymouth and 60cm at Teignmouth in a very short period of time (Dawson et al., 2000). This is considered an uncertain tsunami event. (reference #11945, #14326)
Reference #11164 (v.2) lists as questionable tsunami.
Reference #4215 proposes a distant earthquake as the source
Reference #14343 lists date as October 08
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weymouth, England | United Kingdom | 0.35 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Teignmouth, England | United Kingdom | 0.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1802The 1800sTsunamis of United KingdomThis 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 4303.