A buoy off the west coast of Donegal reached heights of 18 metres during Storm Éowyn, the Irish Marine Institute has said.
The five buoys situated around the coasts of Ireland recorded the intense weather conditions brought by Storm Éowyn.
The buoys collect weather and ocean data, including wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, air and sea surface temperature, and wave statistics.
The M4 buoy, located 45 miles off the Donegal coast, recorded a wave height of 18.75 metres, while the M3 buoy, situated 30 miles off the Cork coast, recorded a wave height of 20.15 metres, almost the length of a tennis court. The institute stated that while these were not record wave heights, the data buoys remained in position and operated through unprecedented storm conditions.
Significant wind speeds were also recorded by the Marine Institute buoys off the Galway coast. The Mace Head data buoy recorded winds of 114km/h and gusts of up to 162km/h.
Dr Rick Officer said: “The Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network plays a vital role in forecasting weather events, particularly during severe storms like Storm Éowyn.”
