May 17, 1892 Tsunami: Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia on May 17, 1892 at 12:10 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 6 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- May 17, 1892, 12:10 UTC
- Source
- Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 2.500° N, 99.500° E
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
Reference #414:
On May 17, 1892 at 20:00 [local time, Ref #1186 lists 20:10] there was an earthquake with source off the coast of Sumatra Island, which affected all of Sumatra Island, the Malacca Peninsula and the western part of Java island.
A strong surf was observed in the rivers on the eastern coast of Sumatra island. At Tebingtinggi, the water in the Barau and Hilang Rivers surged onshore several times. At Tandjungpura, the water in the river became unusually agitated. A strong movement of the water in the rivers was observed at Qualamintjirim and at Klambierlima. At Tandjungbalai, the river was very fast. At Singapore, the water became agitated, alternately rising and falling.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tandjungbalai, Sumatra | Indonesia | 61 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tebingtinggi, Sumatra | Indonesia | 101 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Klambierlima, Sumatra | Indonesia | 160 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tandjungpura, Sumatra | Indonesia | 195 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Singapore | Singapore | 502 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Qualamintjirim, Sumatra | Indonesia | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1892The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaThe 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 1196.