A 19-metre wave in the North Atlantic last February set a world record, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization has announced.

The wave was measured by an automated buoy between Britain and Iceland on February 4 at 6am.

The wave built up after a “very strong cold front” passed through the area, with winds of up to 43.8 knots.

“This is the first time we have ever measured a wave of 19 metres. It is a remarkable record,” the WMO assistant secretary general, Wenjian Zhang, said.

The wave crushed the previous record of 18.275 meters  measured in December 2007 in the North Atlantic.

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