May 22, 1919 Eruption of Stromboli
Stromboli in Italy erupted on May 22, 1919 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 4 people. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Stromboli, Italy, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- May 22, 1919
- Volcano
- Stromboli, stratovolcano
- Country
- Italy
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 38.789° N, 15.213° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 10
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.
1919, May 22. Blocks of 30-60 tons fell on houses in S. Vicenzo (8 destroyed) and Ginostra (2 destroyed); 4 killed, several injured. (reference #9675)
1919, May 22. From February 1919 an eruption of the Stromboli volcano occurred, that had its maximum on May 22 with a violent explosion. Most of the houses at Stromboli village destroyed and many others suffered severe damage. Also at Ginostra some houses collapsed. Three victims and many injured people. (reference #4139)
1919, May 22. Fire of vegetation, ash fallout up to Sicily, tsunami, 4 deaths, several injured, 20 houses destroyed. (reference #10534)
Other significant eruptions of Stromboli
More
Every eruption in 1919The 1900sStromboliEarthquakes near StromboliThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions 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. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 25.