Weather 'bomb' brings high waves, strong winds and power cuts to northern UK

LONDON — A massive storm that intensified explosively in a process know as "bombogenesis" started to hit northern parts of the UK and Ireland on Wednesday, leaving thousands without power.

Towering waves are battering the western-facing shoreline of northern parts of Ireland and Scotland, as a low pressure centre — as intense as a typical Category 2 hurricane — meanders slowly eastward between Iceland and Scandinavia.

See also: Sprawling storm set to explode in North Atlantic, lashing northern Europe

A front extending south from the intense storm sparked thunderstorms, with lightning strikes cutting power to 17,000 homes on the Western Isles. Wave heights were building to near 50 feet just to the west of the Irish coast, according to buoy data. A lifeboat rescued a fishing boat in distress off the Orkney Islands, after its steering and electronics were wiped out by a huge wave. Bystanders captured footage of high winds and waves battering coastal towns. Read more...

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