April 22, 1948 Tsunami: Ionian Sea, Greece
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at Ionian Sea, Greece on April 22, 1948 at 10:42:47 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 7 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- April 22, 1948, 10:42:47 UTC
- Source
- Ionian Sea, Greece
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5, 15 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.532° N, 20.427° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 7 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 100 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 244 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 2,022 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
1948, April 22, 10:43 local time. Ionian Sea, Ionian Islands. A strong earthquake in the southern part of the Island of Levkas caused considerable destruction... A tsunami wave about 1 m high was noted in Vasiliki. (reference #2130)
Tsunami at Vasiliki (Leukada). (reference #4139)
1948, April 22. dfinite tsunami. (reference #11164, v.2)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vasiliki, Lefkada Island | Greece | 19 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1948The 1900sTsunamis of GreeceThe 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 1782.