February 1954 Tsunami: Stromboli Island, Italy
A tsunami caused by a volcano began at Stromboli Island, Italy in February 1954. Its effects were recorded at 5 places.
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
- February 1954
- Source
- Stromboli Island, Italy
- Cause
- Volcano
- Volcano
- The eruption that caused it
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.789° N, 15.213° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
From February - March, 1954, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Lipari Island, an intensive eruption of the volcano of Stromboli occurred with a release of burning clouds and a discharge of lava. Tsunami waves originated (i = 3 - 4); their propagation times from the moment of the explosion were the following: 10 min to Ginostra, 25 min to the Island of Panarea, 60 min to Lipari and 90 min to the shore of Sicily. (reference #2130)
1954, February. 38o48'N, 15o12'E. Tsunami intensity 2. A strong explosive eruption at Stromboli volcano at the upper end of the conduit, with lava effusion from February 1, 1954 to March 13, 1954. Formation of clouds and generation of a tsunami. Tsunami delay times after the explosion are reported by Imbò (ref #3554): Ginostra (Stromboli) 10 min, Panarea 25 min, Lipari 60 min, Sicilian coast 90 min. The above delay times are inconsistent with tsunami travel times. (reference #4139)
1954, February 1. Ash fallout, hot avalanches, tsunami. (reference #10534)
Between Forgia Vecchia and Punta dell'Omo a sea withdrew for about 10 m was observed, leaving some boats stranded. Then two or three waves (the second bigger than the others) invaded the beach carrying some boats in land. (reference #11164)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginostra, Stromboli Island | Italy | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Scari, Stromboli Island | Italy | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Panarea, Island of Panarea | Italy | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Lipari, Lipari Island | Italy | 42 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Island of Sicily | Italy | 63 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1954The 1900sTsunamis of ItalyThe eruptionAlerts 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 3395.