May 20, 1902 Tsunami: Mount Pelee, Martinique
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Mount Pelee, Martinique on May 20, 1902 at 09:24 UTC. The water rose as high as 4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 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
- May 20, 1902, 09:24 UTC
- Source
- Mount Pelee, Martinique
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Maximum water height
- 4 m (13.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 14.820° N, 61.170° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 20
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.
Continuing eruptions of Mount Pelee, caused disturbances of coastal waters.
Reference #13721 lists 20 May 1902 05:20 (local time). validity 4, max water height 4 m.
Reference #13722 states the sea penetrated inland up to about 50 meters and destroyed around twenty houses at Petite Anse; we saw furniture and mattresses transported by the wave to the foot of the cliff which rises behind the Great Anse. A boat located a few miles from Carbet, at the time of the arrival at sea of the fiery cloud in this town, did not feel any movement of the sea. In Fort-de-France, the effect produced was was identical to that of May 8; it was the same in Trinite
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Precheur | Martinique | 7 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Basse Pointe | Martinique | 8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Le Carbet | Martinique | 12 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Fort-De-France | Martinique | 26 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Petite Anse | Martinique | 40 | 50 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1902The 1900sTsunamis of MartiniqueThe eruptionThis 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 2433.