Tsunamis in 303

April 2, 303 Tsunami: Lebanon Coasts

April 2, 303 · Deaths: many · Very doubtful tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Lebanon Coasts on April 2, 303.

Where the waves reached

The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.

  • Under 1 m
  • 1 to 3 m
  • 3 to 10 m
  • 10 to 30 m
  • 30 m and more
  • Height not recorded

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
April 2, 303
Source
Lebanon Coasts
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
The earthquake
Runups recorded
0
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Very doubtful tsunami
Source location
33.200° N, 35.100° E

The toll

Deaths
Many (about 101 to 1,000) 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
Many (101 to 1,000) 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.

Reference #9116:

303 April 2 Sidon. An earthquake damaged Sidon and Tyre on the Lebanese littoral, where houses collapsed with loss of life. It may also have affected Byblus, but it is unlikely that this earthquake affected Gush Halav. The shock was felt in Caesarea, which was not damaged, and it is said that it was associated with a seismic sea wave of doubtful origin.

More

Every tsunami in 303The 300sTsunamis of LebanonThe 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 6182.