The storm classification table below has been developed by
scientists at the University of Virginia for assessing the
relative power of northeasterly storms in the west-Atlantic. The
severity of such storms depends on wave height, which not only
depends on wind strength but also on its duration and fetch, all
necessary conditions to reach a 'fully developed' sea state.
Note that the wind speed is absent from this wave height (m)
|Average duration (hr)||8||18||34||63||96| |49.7% (2yr)||25.2%
(4yr)||22.1% (5yr)||2.4% (40 yr)||0.1% (1000yr)| |Beach
erosion||minor||modest||across beach||severe||extreme| |Dune
erosion||none||minor||significant||erosion and
|Overwash||none||none||none||severe on low- Notes: a relative
frequency of 50% means one such storm every two years. 0.1% once
every 1000 years. Adapted from Cornelia Dean 'Against the tide,
the battle for America's beaches'. 1999. Columbia University
Press