100-foot wave recorded off the coast of Newfoundland during Dorian

100-foot wave recorded off the coast of Newfoundland during Dorian
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A team at Memorial University says it recorded a 100-foot wave off the southwestern coast of Newfoundland during the tail end of post-tropical storm Dorian.

Bill Carter, director of the Marine Institute’s Centre for Applied Ocean Technology, said the 30.2-metre wave was detected at about 2 a.m. on Sunday by an oceanographic buoy about 2.5 kilometres off the coast of Port aux Basques.

Carter says several other large waves of between 20 and 25 metres were also recorded as the former hurricane left the area.

While he’s not an oceanographer, Carter says he believes some combination of low pressure, wind, proximity to shore and the tides combined to create what he calls perfect conditions for a large wave.

He says he can’t be positive such a wave is possible under the conditions, but he is confident the technology was working properly before, during and after the storm.

He says the monster wave likely slammed into the cliffs near shore, but he hasn’t seen a report of it causing any damage.

The Canadian Press

The Canadian PressThe Canadian Press

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