January 18, 1311 Eruption of Katla

Name: January 18, 1311 Eruption of Katla
Start: 1311-01-18
Location: Katla, Iceland

January 18, 1311 · VEI 4 · Deaths: some

Katla in Iceland erupted on January 18, 1311 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4.

Where it erupted

Katla, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: January 18, 1311
Volcano: Katla, subglacial volcano
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Floods (and glacial outburst floods)
Location: 63.633° N, 19.083° W

The toll

Deaths: Some (about 51 to 100)

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.

Many farms destroyed by jokulhlaups and probably many people drowned.

Other significant eruptions of Katla

Every eruption in 1311 The 1300s Katla Earthquakes near Katla This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions 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. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4226.