December 17, 1896 Tsunami: Santa Barbara, CA, United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Santa Barbara, CA, United States on December 17, 1896. The water rose as high as 2.5 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
- December 17, 1896
- Source
- Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 2.5 m (8.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
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.
A wave washed over the boulevard in Santa Barbara carrying with it nearly fifty square feet of the road. This is a high astronomical tide with a strong meteorological component. The surf was described as very high from December 13 to 18. (Reference #237)
At Santa Barbara, a tidal wave, the strongest in the entire history of the city, surged on the littoral boulevard and washed away a section of the embankment and the expensive thoroughfare. The boulevard had been built five years ago to withstand waves. However, the waves which fell on it washed away, in retreating, the greater part of the asphalt covering, the solid masonry, and the heavy iron frame with a total area of 4.5 meters squared and a depth of 2.5 m. A large sandy hill, situated between the boulevard and the regular flood tide line, was completely washed out to sea (Reference #415).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara, CA, CA | United States | 2.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1896The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThis 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 1236.