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Coastal Storms Program: Oregon Coastal Inundation Visualization Tool
Coastal Inundation Visualization Tool
Historical Storms
Coastal Storms Program: Oregon Coastal Inundation Visualization Tool

Historical Storms

Hazards and Their Impacts To The Coast | Animation Highlights | Historical Storm Animations

The Hazards and Their Impacts To The Coast

Coastal Oregon is impacted by extratropical storms that produce large waves and high winds and cause wave inundation (beach being inundated by the ocean), flooding, and erosion. Storms in the Northwest operate on many scales. They may occur singly, or in succession, be warm or cold and be relatively isolated or regional in size. Coastal communities are dealing with ocean flooding from high tides and wind-driven waves which may cause dune toe and bluff erosion. These occurrences can become hazards if they impact the built environment.

The animations and graphs below are from extratropical storms that have impacted the Oregon coast in the recent past. These animations assist users in visualizing how much wave inundation occurs during major storm events. The animations show historical wave inundation (runup) and the dune toe line, the graphs display wave height and period, observed and predicted tidal elevation, storm surge (difference between observed and predicted tides), and total water level for specific historical events. In addition, several definitions have been provided to explain some of the specific features highlighted in the animations and the graphical data displays.

Animation Highlights

The animations highlight several features such as wave inundation and the location of the dune toe line. Below are definitions of these and other features that can occur during coastal storms.

aerial photograph of the netarts area of coastal Oregon with the dune toe line and wave inundation Inundation: Refers to the depth, relative to a stated reference level, to which a particular location is covered by water.

Period: The length of time between two successive wave peaks or troughs. Wave periods vary due to complex interference of waves.

Runup: Maximum height of the water onshore observed above a reference sea level. Wave runup can result in the intermittent discharge of seawater into backbeach areas that may appear to be protected by beach barriers, such as sand dunes or seawalls. The magnitude of runup depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the slope and roughness of the runup surface. Runup on flat beaches is generally less than on steeper beaches; runup on smooth vertical sea walls is generally greater than on protective features with rough sloping faces.

Bluff erosion: Bluffs can be subject to continuing erosion. Bluff erosion occurs when sediment from the bluff is removed either by geology, waves, or weather. Sediment is transported usually to the nearby beach or offshore. This process is usually not considered a risk unless human development occurs on the bluffs or nearby shorelines. Once this occurs, bluff erosion may become a hazard.

Dune Toe: This is the lowest, outermost, or endmost part or base of a dune. The dune toe is part of the backshore of the beach.

Historical Storm Animations

The movies and JAVA applets will load in a new window. Please note that the animations and JAVA applets may take some time to load depending upon connection speed. Choose one of the following animations:

March 2 to 4, 1999

Animation Viewing Options:

February 15 to 18, 1999

Animation Viewing Options:

Challenges in Viewing the Animations

If you experience difficulties in viewing the movies, you may not have waited long enough to view them. This issue may be caused by the large size of the animations and a slow connection speed. If you do not think this is the issue, e-mail the NOAA Coastal Services Center.

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