May 17, 1813 Tsunami: Campania, Italy
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Campania, Italy on May 17, 1813. Its effects were recorded at 3 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
- May 17, 1813
- Source
- Campania, Italy
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 40.817° N, 14.433° 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.
1813, May 17 and June 20 (9) (reference #2130).
Mediterranean Tsunami Catalogue
1813, May 17.Campania. Cause: VA. Rel.: 1. Int. : 2
Date, volcanic explosivity index (VEI) and cone coordinates from Simkin et al. (1981). A period of explosions at the Vesuvius from May to December 28, 1813. The sea withdrew about 15-20 paces at Torre del Greco, Portici and Resina in an interval of a few minutes (Capocci, 1861a; Mercalli, 1883).
Further references: Baratta (1901, 1931); Caputo and Faita (1984); Antonopoulos (1990); Tinti and Maramai (1996); Tinti et al. (2004); Soloviev et al. (2000).
(above from 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.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torre del Greco | Italy | 7 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Portici | Italy | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Resina | Italy | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1813The 1800sTsunamis of ItalyThe eruptionThis 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 3221.