Big wind equals big swells: Niwa predicting monster waves over 10m to thrash West Coast

"Dangerous waves" are forecast off New Zealand's West Coast this week. Photo / File

Huge swells and 10m-plus waves are set to thrash the coastline in coming days.

Niwa reports on Twitter big wind in addition to king tides will create the monster waves. The waves will arrive later this week and early weekend.

Meanwhile, the king tides are likely to occur between August 1 and 6 and there will be an increased risk for coastal erosion and flooding.

Big wind equals big 🌊

10+ m waves are likely to impact the west coast of NZ later this week and early weekend.

King Tides will occur 1-6 August.

Large waves + King Tides = increased risk for coastal erosion and flooding. pic.twitter.com/TUg32MH32t

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) July 31, 2019

Large waves were tipped to reach heights of up to 4m along our coastline in March, with offshore waves measuring 10m.

Hokitika and Greymouth were told to expect waves up to 3.5m with Jackson Bay likely to reach 4.5 to 5m. Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands were tipped to expect waves 7m high.

In April, waves across the Tasman Sea reached heights of 14m but were only tipped to scale 8m high on our shores.