A record breaking wave, taller than a six-story building, has been recorded off the coast between Ireland, the UK and Iceland.
The towering 62-foot high wave, the largest in the world, was registered by a bouy in the North Atlantic between the north coast and Iceland, the Irish Independent reports.
The previous record holder was a 59.96ft wave measured in the North Atlantic in December 2007. A wave's height is defined as the distance from the crest of one wave to the trough of the next.
The WMO Commission for Climatology’s Extremes Evaluation Committee classified it as “the highest significant wave height as measured by a buoy.”
"This is the first time we have ever measured a wave of 19 meters. It is a remarkable record,” said WMO Assistant Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang.
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— HIROLA (@hirolalondon) December 28, 2016
THIS SIX-STORY MONSTER #WAVE SETS A NEW WORLD #RECORD#ENVIRONMENT pic.twitter.com/ZrW4in2jSY
"We need high quality and extensive ocean records to help in our understanding of weather/ocean interactions," he said.
"Despite the huge strides in satellite technology, the sustained observations and data records from moored and drifting buoys and ships still play a major role in this respect."
The WMO said that in the winter months, wind circulation and atmospheric pressure cause intense extratropical storms, often called "bombs.”
The record-breaking wave was created after a "very strong" cold front had come through the area, producing winds up of 43.8 knots (50.4 miles an hour).
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