January 24, 1927 Tsunami: Western Norway
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake began at Western Norway on January 24, 1927 at 05:18:18 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- January 24, 1927, 05:18:18 UTC
- Source
- Western Norway
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 5.5, 15 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 59.423° N, 3.414° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Unusual swell, Orkney Isl. Scotland (reference #4139)
Reference #14326:
A magnitude of 5.7 ML earthquake with an epicentre in the Viking Graben area was felt over much of Scotland and also along the coasts of Norway. […] The earthquake had been extensively felt in Helmsdale between 5.17 to 5.20 a.m. however: "At the time of the shock the bar at the mouth of the Helmsdale River was calm, but at 5.30 a.m. great rollers began to come in from the south-east. Fishermen working 10 miles north-east of Helmsdale were alarmed by a change in the "draw" of the sea, and some of them made speed to get home before worse things happened. (Tyrrell 1932)"
Tyrrell’s extensive review of the earthquake makes no other mention of associated movements of the sea. Ambraseys (1983) searched the available tide gauges, and found no trace of any fluctuation; however, his most northerly data set was at North Shields. The distance from the earthquake epicentre to Helmsdale is 400 km, so it seems inconceivable that waves originating in the Viking Graben could have reached Helmsdale in only 12 minutes (Kerridge et al., 2005).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orkney Islands, Scotland | United Kingdom | 369 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Helmsdale, Scotland | United Kingdom | 434 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1927The 1900sTsunamis of NorwayThe 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 4255.