Tsunamis in the United Kingdom

In a total of 3 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1755 a total of 0 people died in the United Kingdom. Tsunamis therefore occur only rarely here.

The strongest tidal wave registered in the United Kingdom so far reached a height of 3.1 meters. At this Tsunami on 11/01/1755 no losses of human lifes have been registered.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 07/01/2015.

Other natural hazards in the United Kingdom:
› Earthquake
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The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 270 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 the United Kingdom since 1755

DateCausemax wave heightDeathsTotal damage
07/01/2015Meteorological event in the United Kingdom (North Sea)0 m0
03/31/1761Earthquake in Portugal (Sw Portugal) with a magnitude of 8.5. The tsunami also reached Portugal, Barbados.1.8 m0
11/01/1755Earthquake in Portugal (Lisbon) with a magnitude of 8.5. The tsunami caused damages in 12 further countries. A total of 50,000 humans died.3.1 m0


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.