Tsunamis in 1817

January 14, 1817 Tsunami: Sicily Channel, Italy

January 14, 1817 · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Sicily Channel, Italy on January 14, 1817 at 03:30 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
January 14, 1817, 03:30 UTC
Source
Sicily Channel, Italy
Cause
Earthquake
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
3
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Very doubtful tsunami
Source location
37.500° N, 13.000° 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.

Calabrian Arc, Island of Sicily, south-western shore (reference #2130).

Sea oscillations at Sciacca (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
SciaccaItalyEyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1817The 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 3222.