Tsunamis in 1939

January 27, 1939 Tsunami: Calabrian Arc, Italy

January 27, 1939 · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Calabrian Arc, Italy on January 27, 1939 at 20:10:15 UTC.

Where the waves reached

The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.

  • 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 27, 1939, 20:10:15 UTC
Source
Calabrian Arc, Italy
Cause
Earthquake
Runups recorded
0
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
2
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Very doubtful tsunami
Source location
38.500° N, 14.700° 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.

1939, January 27, night. Tyrrhenian Sea, Lipari Islands. An earthquake occurred on the Islands of Filicudi, Salina and others. It was felt on a ship anchored in the port of Lipari as strong vertical vibrations. The roughness of the sea possibly accompanied the

shock. (reference #2130)

More

Every tsunami in 1939The 1900sTsunamis of ItalyThe earthquakeThis 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 3404.