EM 1110-2-1100 (Part II)
(Change 1) 31 July 2003
Characteristic
Type of Wind System
Wave Characteristics
Height and Period
Individual thunderstorm
Very steep waves.
H 0.5 - 1.5 m
T 1.5 - 3 sec
No significant horizontal rotation.
Waves can become relatively large if storm speed
and group velocity of spectral peak are nearly equal.
Size, 1-10 km
Can be a threat to some operations in open-ocean,
coastal, and inland waters.
Very steep waves.
Supercell thunderstorms
H 2-3m
T 3 - 6 sec
Begins to exhibit some rotation.
Waves can become relatively large if storm speed
and group velocity of spectral peak are nearly equal.
Size, 5-20 km
Can pose a serious threat to some operations in
open-ocean, coastal, and inland waters.
Waves of intermediate steepness.
Sea breeze
H 0.5 - 1.5 m
T 3 - 5 sec
Thermally driven near-coast winds.
Can modify local wave conditions when superposed
on synoptic systems.
Size, 10-100 km
Can affect some coastal operations.
Can modify local wave conditions near coasts.
H 0.5 - 1.0 m
Coastal fronts
T 3 - 4 sec
Results from juxtaposition of cold air and
Minimal effects on wave conditions due to orientation
warm water.
of winds and fetches.
Size, 10 km across and 100 km long
Generates waves that can deviate significantly in
H 0.5 - 1.5 m
Lee waves
direction from synoptic conditions.
T 2 - 5 sec
"Spin-off" eddies due to interactions between Can affect coastal wave climates.
synoptic winds and coastal topography
Size, 10's of km
Can create severe hazards to coastal and offshore
Frontal squall lines
H 1-5m
operations.
T 4 - 7 sec
Organized lines of thunderstorms moving
Can generate extreme wave conditions for inland
within a frontal area.
waters.
Size, 100's of km long and 10 km across
Waves can become quite large if frontal area becomes
stationary or if rate of frontal movement matches wave
velocity of spectral peak.
Can create significant addition to existing synoptic-
scale waves.
(Sheet 1 of 3)
Meteorology and Wave Climate
II-2-25
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