September 1, 1886 Tsunami: Charleston, SC, United States
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Charleston, SC, United States on September 1, 1886 at 02:51:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- September 1, 1886, 02:51:00 UTC
- Source
- Charleston, SC, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 32.900° N, 80.000° W
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.
The earthquake source event occurred at 9:51 pm on August 31, 1886, local time. The rumors at the time in areas outside of Charleston "were to the effect that Charleston and all the coast country had been swept away by a mighty tidal wave and that the Florida peninsula had been snapped off from the continent in the general cataclysm and fallen into the sea" (Reference #1755). There was a tsunami associated with the date and time of the Charleston earthquake. Around 8:52 pm (local time) an earthquake occurred in Jacksonville, Florida (Reference #1753); and tsunami effects were noted in Mayport (Reference #1752). It is unclear if the Charleston earthquake was tsunamigenic, or if the Florida event was related to a local submarine landslide caused by the earthquake (Reference #541). There was also a wave on the Copper River in South Carolina (Reference #1754).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper River, SC, SC | United States | 7 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Mayport, FL, FL | United States | 310 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Jacksonville, FL, FL | United States | 326 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1886The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe 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 2360.