April 13, 1912 Tsunami: Southern Shore, Lake Erie (Ohio), United States
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Southern Shore, Lake Erie (Ohio), United States on April 13, 1912. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- April 13, 1912
- Source
- Southern Shore, Lake Erie (Ohio), United States
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 42.000° N, 81.000° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
The New York Times (Reference #1805) reports: "Cleveland, Ohio, April 13. Lake Erie ports report that an immense tidal wave swept the southern shore of Lake Erie last night. At Ashtabula the steamer Sahara of Duluth broke from her moorings and was thrown against the Schoonmacher, the largest freighter on the lakes, owned by W.P. Snyder of Pittsburgh, smashing the Schoonmacher's light upper works. Nobody was injured. At Painesville, ice was washed 600 feet back up the river, and large icebergs were observed out in the lake." Validity 2 and meteorological cause listed by reference #541.
Reference #12345 lists validity 3 or probable tsunami. (accessed April 2024)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula, OH, OH | United States | 23 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Painesville, OH, OH | United States | 37 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1912The 1900sTsunamis 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 2361.