January 27, 1871 Tsunami: Sydney Harbor, Australia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Sydney Harbor, Australia on January 27, 1871. The water rose as high as 0.12 meters. 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
- January 27, 1871
- Source
- Sydney Harbor, Australia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 0.12 m (0.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable 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.
On the 27th, at 7pm, a small tidal wave is recorded by the tide gauge, the water in the harbour rose 5 inches suddenly. (reference #14278)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Australia | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1871The 1800sTsunamis of AustraliaThis 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 6124.