January 26, 1531 Tsunami: Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal

Name: January 26, 1531 Tsunami: Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal
Start: 1531-01-26
Location: Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal

January 26, 1531 · 30,000 deaths · 1,500 houses destroyed · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal on January 26, 1531. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 30,000 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.

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: January 26, 1531
Source: Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 7.7
Runups recorded: 1
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 38.700° N, 9.100° W

The toll

Deaths: 30,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses destroyed: 1,500 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it

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.

1531, January 26, 05 UTC. 38.95 N, 9 S, magnitude 7.7, tsunami intensity 4. Due to the disturbance of the river waters, several boats destroyed. The sea and the water of the river Tagus came out of ordinary limits and flooded Lisbon downtown. (reference #4139)

1531, January 26. At Lisbon and in the rest of Portugal, in Spain and on the opposite coast of Africa. In Lisbon, the shocks were extremely violent (int. 3), 1500 houses and all the churches were thrown down. The sea was greatly agitated and several vessels were wrecked. The waters of the Tagus were driven up its banks by the rush of the waves. (Reference #516)

1531, January 26. Portugal, Lisbon. Locally felt shock. The sea was greatly agitated, and swallowed up several vessels. The water of the Tagus River (38 deg 40'N., 09 deg 24'W.) was driven up on the banks by the rushing in of the waves. (Reference #41). Reference #41 is quoting directly from Mallet (Reference #1879)

1531, January 25. Lisbon, intensity 10.5. Great disaster, many victims, 1500 houses destroyed, tidal wave. The jolts were also violently felt in Spain and Africa. (Reference #1093)

1531, January 26, 04:30 UTC. 38.9 N, 9 S. (reference #11164)

The downtown of Lisbon and several dwellings along estuary were flooded by the river and ships in the harbour were left in dry. (reference #4649)

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
Lisbon	Portugal	19			Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1531 The 1500s Tsunamis of Portugal The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts 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 165.