Tsunamis in Norway

In a total of 10 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1888 a total of 114 people died in Norway. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Norway so far reached a height of 74 meters. At this Tsunami on 09/13/1936 a total of 73 people have been killed.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 03/19/1998.

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Back to overview: Norway

The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 140 years.

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.

The largest tsunamis in Norway since 1888

Date	Cause	max wave height	Deaths
07/30/2011	Landslide in Norway (Lysefjoren, Western Norway)	1.5 m	0
03/19/1998	Landslide in Norway (Western Norway)	6 m	0
04/28/1994	Landslide in Norway (Western Norway)	4 m	0
02/21/1987	Landslide in Norway (Western Norway)	3 m	0
08/18/1983	Landslide in Norway (Western Norway)	7 m	0
05/07/1959	Landslide in Norway (Northern Norway)	4 m	0
10/06/1949	Landslide in Norway (Northern Norway)	2 m	0
09/13/1936	Landslide in Norway (Loen)	74 m	73
04/07/1934	Landslide in Norway (Tafjord)	62.30 m	40
04/23/1888	Landslide in Norway (Mid-Norway)	0 m	1

These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.