August 18, 1983 Tsunami: Western Norway
A tsunami caused by a landslide began at Western Norway on August 18, 1983 at 09:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 7 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- August 18, 1983, 09:00 UTC
- Source
- Western Norway
- Cause
- Landslide
- Maximum water height
- 7 m (23.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 61.233° N, 7.717° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
150,000 cubic meters of rocks and about the same amount of scree fell from Kleppura in the mountain Middagshaugen into the fjord Ardalsfjorden. Surface elevation of about 2.5-3.5 m in the fjord, and run-up heights of 5-7 m in the harbour area of Ardalstangen, 1-1.5 km to the northeast. Small sailing vessels and light structures damaged, parts of quay structures lifted or damaged. Tsunami intensity 4. (reference #4139)
1983 Aug 18 9h, Western Norway, 61.233 N 7.717 E. (reference #11164)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardalstangen | Norway | 1 | 7 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1983The 1900sTsunamis of NorwayThis 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 4248.