March 8, 1832 Tsunami: Cutro, Italy
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Cutro, Italy on March 8, 1832 at 01:15 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 234 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
The tsunami
- Date
- March 8, 1832, 01:15 UTC
- Source
- Cutro, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 39.000° N, 17.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 234 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
Source of earthquake near Cutro. Cutro, Petilia Policastro, Roccabernarda, Rocca di Neto, Papanice, Marcedusa, Sta Severina, Isola di Capo Rizzuto, Catanzaro, Scandale, Ciro, S.Mauro and other settlements suffered most. Simeri, Soveria, Magizano, Crotone and others experienced severe destruction. The shock lasted 35 seconds. The surface of the earth along the River Tacina cracked. 234 people were killed. Atmospheric light phenomena were observed. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutro | Italy | 4 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1832The 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 3294.