Almost 70 foot high record wave recorded off Donegal coastline

Surfers revel as storm prompts freak waves

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A record wave the height of four buildings has hit the Donegal coastline as surfers revel in the effects of Ireland’s latest winter storms.

A weather service buoy recorded the wave at 67 feet at 2pm on Tuesday according to Met Eireann, Ireland’s weather service.

Experts have confirmed that this is the highest wave ever recorded in Irish waters when it was measured at the M4 weather buoy, positioned approximately 16km west of Rossan Point.

It was the second time in less than three hours that the record was broken according to the weather service.

“There was a record wave of 20.2 metres earlier but it didn’t last very long,” said a spokesman for Met Éireann.

“The previous record was something like 16 metres so it’s a significant jump in magnitude.

“These are relatively new buoys that can do this. I don’t think we would have records going back a long time - so it’s a record but it’s a relatively new measurement system.

“It’s not like some of our temperature records that go back over 150 years but certainly it’s exceptional.”

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A storm passing to the North of Ireland coupled with westerly winds feeding in it behind it accounted for the record wave according to the Irish weather service.

The spokesman added: “If you get a long stream of strong winds from the same direction, you get waves building up.

“Often, it’s to do with the fact that the wind direction is quite consistent so it keeps building up and up. It’s possibly been building up over the last few days.”

Surfers preparing for a Billabong surf contest to be held off Donegal next year have been making the most of the freakish waves according to locals.
 

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