Tsunamis in 1805

July 26, 1805 Tsunami: Campania, Italy

July 26, 1805 · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Campania, Italy on July 26, 1805 at 20:57 UTC. 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
July 26, 1805, 20:57 UTC
Source
Campania, Italy
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
Magnitude 6.6
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
2
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Definite tsunami
Source location
41.500° N, 14.467° E

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1805, July 25-26, 21h57m, 23h and 00h45m. Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. A catastrophic earthquake occurred that embraced a large area in Central Italy and resulted in numberous areas of destruction; the strongest destruction occurred in Molise. 5,600 people were killed, dozen of settlements were destroyed completely (reference #2130).

Sea rise in the Gulf of Naples (reference #4139)

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
Bay of NaplesItaly77Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1805The 1800sTsunamis of ItalyThis 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 3217.