January 19, 1784 Tsunami: Messina Straits, Italy
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake began at Messina Straits, Italy on January 19, 1784. Its effects were recorded at 4 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
- January 19, 1784
- Source
- Messina Straits, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.1
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 38.167° N, 15.633° 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.
Light aftershock of the Calabrian seismic period started in February 1783. Sea agitated between Torre del Faro and Scilla. At Faro many banks and ditches broken.
At Fossa and Catona many fields flooded, damage. Many trees overturned.
Revision: Tinti (ref #2761).
A seaquake occurred in Scilla (reference #2130).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catona | Italy | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Torre del Faro | Italy | 11 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Scilla | Italy | 12 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Fossa | Italy | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1784The 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 3213.