On January 20, Spain’s Ports of the State announced the largest significant wave height in recorded history in the Mediterranean.
Storm Gloria hit the Spanish coast Monday with Alicante airport forced to close due to snow, and is reported to have claimed at least eight lives, triggering weather alerts in more than 30 provinces.
Deep-water buoys located off the coast of Valencia, Spain, registered a record-breaking significant wave height of 8.44 meters (27.69 feet).
The previous significant wave height record in the Mediterranean Sea had been set at 8.15 meters (26.73 feet) and was recorded in 2003 in Mahón, Menorca.
The authorities estimate that this time, Storm Gloria produced waves of 13.5 meters (44.29 feet).
Watch how Storm Gloria-produced swells hit Portocolom, Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands, and Platja de la Mar Bella, in Barcelona.
The Dragonera buoy, in the Balearic Islands, also recorded a historical maximum since it was put into operation in 2006.
On January 20, at 3 am (local time), the buoy registered 7.97 meters (26.14 feet) of significant wave height, beating its previous record of 6.33 meters (20.76 feet) obtained in January 2017.
This buoy provides maximum wave height data in real-time and delivered a new record of 14.2 meters (46.58 feet) high in the same period.
