July 16, 2018 Tsunami: Balearic Islands, Spain
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Balearic Islands, Spain on July 16, 2018. The water rose as high as 0.75 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places. It killed 1 person.
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
- July 16, 2018
- Source
- Balearic Islands, Spain
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 0.75 m (2.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- 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.
Reference #12185:
The rissaga has been noticed in Ciutadella early morning and Monday morning, and not only in the port but also in some beaches of the municipality, such as Cala en Blanes, Platja Gran, Sa Caleta and Santandria, where they have flooded the whole beach area.
In the case of Cala en Blanes, the water has even reached the Palm Grove, flooding the Piratas beach bar located in the central part of the beach, and causing some minor damage.
The largest oscillation has been detected at 7 o'clock in the morning in the port of Ciutadella, when it has reached 1.5 meters, according to the Balearic delegation of the State Agency of Meteorology (Aemet).
The delegate of the Aemet in the Balearic Islands, María José Guerrero, reports that due to "the significant situation" of the risings of Ciutadella, sea oscillations have also been detected in coves and ports of Mallorca, such as Port d'Andratx, Alcúdia, Porto Colom and Porto Cristo, yet smaller than those of Menorca.
The last rissaga that was detected in Ciutadella was on June 10, although in this case the maximum oscillation was 55 centimeters.
Reference #12184:
A tourist has died after being swept away in the mini-tsunami in Mallorca. The 53-year-old man from Germany died yesterday afternoon in the Santanyi area after being hit by a huge wave.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Ciutadella, Menorca Island | Spain | 0.75 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Ciutadella, Menorca Island | Spain | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Santanyi, Majorca Island | Spain | Eyewitness observation of water height | 1 |
More
Every tsunami in 2018The 2000sTsunamis of SpainThis 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 5684.