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Rare Oregon Coast Snow Dazzles Tourists, Locals

Cannon Beach (photo by Tiffany Boothe)

(Oregon Coast) – “Snow is a four-letter word,” said Seaside’s Mike Exinger, after at least two inches hit the northern half of the Oregon coast Thursday.

From Newport to Astoria, things got a bit icy and white, creating some havoc on Highway 101 and closing schools, but mostly leaving everyone with a sense of awe or glee. Some were cross-country skiing on the beaches or hilly streets, others were snowboarding or riding around on ATV’s. Many enjoyed a day off from school, at least as many complained about the cold – but mostly people were amazed.

“As a former Midwesterner, this ain’t nothing,’ “ said Exinger. “But unlike previous snowfalls, this one is still here. I just shoveled my walk; I’m on the shady side of the street so there was little melting. Took all of five minutes. Big deal.”

Exinger, who owns Zinger’s Homemade Ice Cream, is a little unhappy about the white stuff, however. He’s been on vacation since December and will reopen his ice cream parlor this weekend. “We reopen tomorrow, with temps in the 30’s,” Exinger said. “What joy. Reminder: that’s why they call it hot fudge.”

Cannon Beach (photo by Tiffany Boothe)

Donna Weiss, owner of Weiss’ Paradise Suites in Seaside, awoke to quite a white surprise around 4 a.m. “I thought I was dreaming - more snow than I ever expected,” Weiss said. “Seaside is still fairly cold but the main streets are almost clear. It is starting to ice up and it will be very slick tonight until it warms up tomorrow. I am staying inside by the fire tonight.”

"Wheeler is gorgeous," said Wheeler resident Ken Thompson, who snapped this picture

Numerous accidents were reported up and down the coastal highway, especially in Clatsop County. There, traffic was around five mph for most of the morning, with icy roads or thick layers of snow causing problems from Newport to Gearhart.

Tiffany Boothe, of the Seaside Aquarium, was caught in that traffic between Cannon Beach and Seaside, and found the going scary. She managed to snap many spectacular photos for BeachConnection.net, however.

“We had a foot of snow here this morning,” exclaimed Corinna Otto, manager of Spindrift Inn, in Manzanita. “People were cross-country skiing on the beach and boogie boarding down Laneda Avenue. We still have a lot on the ground, it's melted off the trees and the roads are getting slushy.”

Seaside Aquarium (photo by Tiffany Boothe)

“Normally it’s one to three inches and melts the next day,” said Brian Hines, owner of San Dune Inn in Manzanita. “For the first time had to shovel our sidewalk and have snow piled in the parking lot.”

Hines also saw someone skiing down Manzanita’s main road. Exinger caught sight of some kids snowboarding on the dunes of Seaside.

Roy and Danielle Emerick were surprised by all the snow in their hometown of Newport. The pair runs Starfish Point there, but had a friend from Seattle staying with them who reported seeing flurries of big flakes in the wee hours of the morning.

“We had about one to two inches and mostly everything was covered in a blanket of snow,” Roy Emerick said. “The trees all had snow covered branches and it was like a winter wonderland. Yaquina Head point was covered with snow and all the driftwood was covered as well.”

Cannon Beach (photo by Tiffany Boothe)

“Our friend from Seattle was very disappointed when she heard it was going to snow there. It seems like every time she leaves the Seattle area they get snow, and she does not get to see it. So, now she got to experience seeing snow in Newport.”

At Trollers Lodge in Depoe Bay, owner Peg Leoni also had guests at the motel from out of state. “Our guests with children really loved it,” she said. “They are from California and don't see it often.”

Just south of Newport, Stonecrest Cellar B&B was surround by snow. Owner Judy Joubert said she’d been in the hot tub for a while in the morning and enjoyed the ocean view below, with the bed and breakfast’s lawn covered in powder. The roadway into the lodging, which faces 101, looked more like a mountain cabin scene than Oregon’s coastline.

“There were lots of spinouts on Highway 20,” Joubert noted, after riding that road for a while.

Depoe Bay (photo by Peg Leoni)

Dogs and nature took the center stage much of the time. In Seaside, Boothe said a yearling seal was resting on the snow-covered beach.

In Newport, the Emericks took their Jack Russell Terrier - named Niles - out to run around on the beach. “He ran all around and even made doggy snow angels,” said Emerick. “He would run for a while and the stop, then lay on his back and move around. It was hilarious.”

Leoni’s wiry black lab, Samantha, wasn’t totally captivated, but the snow did have its benefits for finding the energetic dog. “Samantha found it wet, cold and uninteresting, but she was easier to find.”

Yachats had no snow, but Yachats Wine Trader/Yachats River House manager Marsii Charron saw plenty of interesting moments nearby.

Stonecrest Cellar B&B (photo Judy Joubert)

“I have heard that it snowed north and south of us,” Charron said. “I hiked up Cape Pepetua this morning and there is about two inches of snow on the top of the cape, but nothing until three quarters of the way up. Seeing the cape covered in snow with the waves crashing below was inspiring.

“In town, there is no snow but the mountains surrounding us are beautifully dusted on the tops. Actually, today has turned out to be one of the sunniest days we have had in a long time. It's warmed up here: the sun is shinning, the waves are calm, there have been people playing on the beach all day. For this time of year, we couldn't have asked for a better day.”

More photos of Oregon Coast Snow

Front of Stonecrest (photo Joubert)	Snowy Seaside neighborhood

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