Tsunamis in 1859

October 20, 1859 Tsunami: Pireaus, Greece

October 20, 1859 · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami of unknown cause began at Pireaus, Greece on October 20, 1859. 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
October 20, 1859
Source
Pireaus, Greece
Cause
Unknown
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
2
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Very doubtful tsunami

The toll

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

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
PiraeusGreeceEyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1859The 1800sTsunamis of GreeceThis 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 891.