Tsunamis in 1919

February 13, 1919 Tsunami: Timor Sea, Indonesia

February 13, 1919 · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami of unknown cause began at Timor Sea, Indonesia on February 13, 1919. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
February 13, 1919
Source
Timor Sea, Indonesia
Cause
Unknown
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
1.5
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
9.000° S, 124.850° E

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.

1919, February 13. An unusually high flood tide doing slight damage was observed at Atapupu ('Cimor Island). No reports of an earthquake were received. (reference #414)

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
AtapupuIndonesia0Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1919The 1900sTsunamis of IndonesiaThis 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 1468.