Massive waves that battered UK, Ireland
Massive waves that battered UK, Ireland are higher than 5 double-decker buses
By Andrew Freedman From Mashable
In pictures, massive waves associated with weather ‘bomb’ batter UK, Ireland
A massive storm churned the waters of the North Atlantic on Tuesday and Wednesday. From Greenland to the shores of Norway, the storm had a huge reach, and its large hurricane-force wind field drove waves higher than 70 feet into the coasts of Ireland and the UK.
Earlier this week, winds gusted well above hurricane force, or 74 miles per hour, in several locations in Iceland, as the storm rapidly intensified in a process known to meteorologists as “bombogenesis.” During this period of rapid intensification, the storm’s minimum central air pressure plummeted by about 44 millibars in 24 hours, down to close to the intensity of Hurricane Sandy when it passed the North Carolina coast on its way toward New Jersey in Oct. 2012.
The Irish Meteorological Service reported that a buoy off the coast of Donegal, Ireland, recorded its highest significant wave heights on record, with a reading of 51.5 feet on Wednesday. This actually doesn’t measure the highest waves; rather, significant wave height is the term given to the average height of the highest third of the waves over a period. The previous record was 50 feet, set on Jan. 26, 2014. The buoy recorded an individual wave that was 70.5 feet on Wednesday, which was less than the record-high wave recorded in January.
When viewed from space on Tuesday, the storm looked like a giant comma tucked into the southeast corner of Greenland, with an arm extending out toward Europe.
Uk%20weather-2
A car drives along Seaview road as waves crash over the promenade on Dec. 9, 2014 in Saltcoats, Scotland.
IMAGE: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Waves-4
A ship near in Ardrossan, Scotland during stormy weather on December 10, 2014.
IMAGE: DANNY LAWSON/PA WIRE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Uk%20weather-6
A man takes pictures of large waves battering the harbour during stormy weather in Ballintoy in Northern Ireland, on Dec. 10, 2014.
IMAGE: PAUL FAITH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Uk%20weather-5
Large waves batter the harbour wall during stormy weather in Ballintoy in Northern Ireland, on Dec. 10, 2014.
IMAGE: PAUL FAITH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Waves-3
People walk on the promenade in Blackpool while weather causes disruption across parts of the UK with power cuts, ferry and train cancellations and difficult driving conditions.
IMAGE: LYNNE CAMERON/PA WIRE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Uk%20weather-7
Professional surfer Alastair Mennie braves the conditions as he catches a wave on Dec. 10, 2014 in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland.
IMAGE: CHARLES MCQUILLAN/GETTY IMAGES
Uk%20weather-4
Waves crash over the harbour wall during stormy weather in Portstewart in Northern Ireland, on Dec. 10, 2014.
IMAGE: PAUL FAITH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Uk%20weather-8
Waves crash onto the promenade on Dec. 10, 2014 in Blackpool, United Kingdom.
IMAGE: NIGEL RODDIS/GETTY IMAGES
Waves-2
People on the promenade in Blackpool during stormy weather on Wednesday December 10, 2014.
IMAGE: LYNNE CAMERON/PA WIRE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Uk%20weather-1
A man watches from a van as waves crash over the promenade wall on Dec. 9, 2014 in Prestwick, Scotland.
IMAGE: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Uk%20weather-10
Waves crash against the promenade wall on Dec. 10, 2014 in Prestwick, Scotland.
IMAGE: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Uk%20weather-3
Waves batter the harbor wall during stormy weather in Portstewart in Northern Ireland, on Dec. 10, 2014.
IMAGE: PAUL FAITH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Epa
Giant waves batter the lighthouse wall at Whitehaven, a port on the coast of Cumbia, England on Dec. 10, 2014.
IMAGE: EPA/OWEN HUMPHREYS
Uk%20weather-9
Waves crash against the promenade wall on Dec.10, 2014 in Prestwick, Scotland.
IMAGE: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Waves-1
The pier in Blackpool, as the stormy weather is causing disruption across parts of the UK with power cuts, ferry and train cancellations and difficult driving conditions on Wednesday December 10, 2014.
For more on this story go to: http://mashable.com/2014/12/10/photos-weather-bomb-uk-ireland/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
