February 5, 1783 Tsunami: Tyrrhenian Calabria, Italy
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Tyrrhenian Calabria, Italy on February 5, 1783 at 12:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 11 places. 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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- February 5, 1783, 12:00 UTC
- Source
- Tyrrhenian Calabria, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 13 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 11
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.300° N, 15.967° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 30,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50); Very many (over 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
In 1783 Calabria (southern Italy) was shaken by the most violent and persistent seismic crisis occurred in the last two thousands years. Five very strong earthquakes occurred in a short interval of time (February-March), causing destructions and a lot of victims in a vast region embracing the whole southern Calabria and the Messina area, Sicily. The 5 February [12hr] earthquake abruptly opened the seismic period. More than 380 villages damaged, 180 almost totally ruined. More than 25,000 victims, mostly because of the violent fire following the shock.
Coast from Messina to Torre del Faro (about 11 miles) and from Cenidio to Scilla (about 7 miles) heavily affected by the tsunami. Sea generally reported to recede and then to inundate the shore. Withdrawals and inundations repeated at least three times at intervals of about 10-15 min. At Joppolo a cosiderable sea withdrawal was observed leaving sea bottom dried. In the sea between Nicotera and Gioa Tauro, two waves seen to form by two fishermen: one travelled toward Capo Vaticano and the other toward Gioia del Tirreno. This was as high as a big vessel, but caused no damage. Probably the same fact reported occurring about 8 minutes after the shock. At Nicotera where two big waves were observed to form offshore: one heading toward the coast, the other travelling seaward. At Nicotera the sea withdrew boiling and then turned the fishing-boats upside-down. At Gioa del Tirreno the sea inundated the shore without any damage. At Scilla the sea withdrew for more than 10 meters leaving the sea bottom dry and a lot of fish on the beach; then suddenly the water came back surpassing its usual limit of about 1,5 meters and flooding the coast. Oscillation repeated with period of 15 minutes.
At Messina the sea overpassed the quays, destroying them, and violently inundated the theathre Marittimo. Sea agitated for three days after the main shock. At Torre del Faro, sea retreat followed by inundation observed. The water of the two marshes, Pantano Piccolo and Pantano Grande, receded). The sea coming back, partly destroyed the lighthouse and penetreted as far as the two marshes, inundating wineyards, then withdrew dragging many boats livestock and leaving fish on shore. The sea receding dragged some fishermen. At Catona the sea flooded the coast for a short stretch. At Reggio Calabria the sea surpassed the beach arriving at the coastal road inundating some twon district. At San Gregorio a rockfall fell into the sea generating sea waves. In the stretch of coast from Bianco to Roccella Ionica (about 35 km long) the beach was flooded by about one mile. At Roccella the wave was observed about 7 minutes after the shock. The sea reached the monastery of the Minims Paolotti carrying many boats onland.
Simulated numerically by Tinti (ref #1407).
Revisions: Graziani (ref #3954), Tinti (ref #2761).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scilla | Italy | 23 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Nicotera | Italy | 28 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Torre del Faro | Italy | 28 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Bianco | Italy | 29 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Catona | Italy | 32 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Reggio Calabria | Italy | 36 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Messina, Sicily | Italy | 38 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| San Gregorio | Italy | 38 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Roccella Ionica | Italy | 38 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Joppa | Italy | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Gioa del Tirreno | Italy | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1783The 1700sTsunamis of ItalyThe earthquakeThis 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 2769.