August 26, 1883

1883 eruption of Krakatoa

Krakatau enters its catastrophic climactic eruption of 26–27 August

The catastrophe began on a Sunday afternoon, but the most destructive explosion did not arrive until 10:02 the next morning.

12:53 p.m., 26 August 1883

Krakatau entered its climactic phase at about 12:53 p.m. on 26 August 1883. The first major blast drove a debris column rapidly upward, and explosive activity intensified through the evening.

Four principal large explosions followed on 27 August, at approximately 5:30, 6:44, 10:02 and 10:52 a.m. local time — four, not eleven. The 10:02 blast was the strongest, though reconstructions differ on the fourth, giving roughly 10:41, 10:45 or 10:52.

The water and the heat

Multiple tsunamis crossed the Sunda Strait over the two days. The largest wave originated around 10 a.m. on 27 August, broadly coinciding with the strongest explosion, and caused the vast majority of deaths; authoritative summaries report maximum heights of about 40–41 m. Near Telok Betong, Captain Lindemann turned the Loudon to meet an approaching wave head-on, and the ship survived while the town behind it was overwhelmed.

Hot pyroclastic currents crossed approximately 40 km of open sea and were still lethal on reaching southern Sumatra, where they killed about 2,000 people. Recorded deaths total at least 36,417, with 165 coastal villages destroyed.

What was left, and what was recorded elsewhere

The northern portion of the island vanished during caldera formation, leaving roughly one-third above water. The exact moment and physical sequence of collapse cannot be fixed from the records, so it should not be stated that the whole collapse happened in the 10:02 explosion.

Some barographs recorded the pressure wave up to seven times over five days as it travelled away and returned from the antipodal direction. Darkness persisted locally into 28 August.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 8 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

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What the sources leave uncertain

The event spans two dates: the climactic phase began on August 26, while the four greatest explosions—including the 10:02 a.m. blast—occurred on August 27. The listed title wrongly makes 10:02 sound like an August 26 time.
Published reconstructions differ slightly on the fourth explosion’s time, variously giving approximately 10:41, 10:45 or 10:52 a.m.
The 36,417 figure is the traditional colonial-era count. Modern scholarly accounts often round it to approximately 36,000 rather than imply a complete census.
The exact time and physical sequence of caldera collapse are unresolved. It should not be stated as certain that the entire collapse occurred in the 10:02 explosion.