July 22, 963 Tsunami: Sicily, Italy
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Sicily, Italy on July 22, 963. 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
- July 22, 963
- Source
- Sicily, Italy
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 38.000° N, 15.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Very many (over 1,000)
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.
July 22, 963. Sicily. A strong earthquake. Many cities and villages were destroyed, ploughed fields were ruined. The sea flooded dry ground and thousands of inhabitants perished. (reference #2130)
July 22, 963, 36.3 N, 37 E. G. Buccellino remembers that on 22 July a great earthquake in Syria and Sicily, destroyed many cities, lands and countries, and that in this last sea, having invaded the earth, made to drown many thousands of persons. Note: A probable maremoto from seism with epicenter far away (Syria). (reference #3470)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island of Sicily | Italy | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 963The 900sTsunamis 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 3429.