January 1882 Tsunami: Sri Lanka
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Sri Lanka in January 1882. 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 1882
- Source
- Sri Lanka
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 8.567° N, 81.233° E
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.
January or February. Ceylon, Trincomalee (8 deg 34 min N., 81 deg 14 min E.). (reference #42)
Jan. or Feb., 1882, Ceylon, Trincomali. (reference #132)
January 1882, 8.57 N, 81.23 E, tsunami at Trincolmalee, Sri Lanka. (reference #96)
January or February 1882. Earthquake off Trincomale caused a tsunami in the Bay of Bengal. (reference #3927)
Although we searched for reference material relating to the events of 1886, 1882, 1868 and 1847 in Table 1, we were unable to find mention of them in any of the sources we consulted. We therefore tentatively conclude that if these events occurred at all they are unlikely to have had a significant impact on the Indian coast. Since we were unable to clearly identify any other primary sources describing these events, we have assigned them a CI of 1, indicating that their interpretation as tsunami is in doubt. (reference #2725)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trincomalee | Sri Lanka | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1882The 1800sTsunamis of Sri LankaThe 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 1130.