August 16, 1845 Tsunami: Dubrovnik, Croatia
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Dubrovnik, Croatia on August 16, 1845 at 16:38 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
The tsunami
- Date
- August 16, 1845, 16:38 UTC
- Source
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
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.
1845 Aug 16, 16h 38m. Adriatic Sea, Dalmatia. [...] The sea rose considerably higher than its usual level in less than a minute before the August 16 earthquake. The highway to Gravosa (Gravesa - ref) was flooded almost completely. [Listed as questionable tsunami] (reference #2130)
1845 Aug 16, Dubrovnik. [...] we believe that the perception of eyewitnesses regarding the timing might have easily been distorted by the shock caused by the strong earthquake. Thus, based on good information from a coeval source on the cause, with a fine description of the tsunami, we consider this event as a 'definite tsunami'. (reference #9531)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravosa | Croatia | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1845The 1800sTsunamis of CroatiaThis 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 745.