An enormous 62-foot-high wave in the North Atlantic ocean has set a new world record for the highest significant wave measured by a buoy. The wave was recorded in the North Atlantic ocean between Iceland and the UK by an automated buoy in February 2013, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
It followed the passage of a very strong cold front, which produced winds of up to 81.11 kilometres per hour over the area. The previous record of 18.275 meters was measured on 8 December 2007, also in the North Atlantic. 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 metres,” said WMO Assistant Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang.