UPDATE: Oregon Coast Storm Now Brings High Wind, Surf Warnings for Thurs; Seas at 34 Ft

Published 10/12/2016 at 4:51 AM PDT - Updated 10/13/2016 at 3:51 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) - UPDATE: Latest predictions state possible 90 mph gusts on Saturday. A high wind warning is now in effect for the north and central Oregon coast and from 2 p.m. on Thursday to midnight that night, according to the National Weather Service in Portland (NWS). There is also a high surf advisory for about the same period and a coastal flood watch further south as well. Even the Portland area and other inland cities are under a high wind watch. (Above: Cannon Beach in a wind storm, courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium).

A series of storms are pushing in, set to kick in harder over the weekend. This will bring 40 mph winds to the Oregon coast with gusts as high as 80 mph at times, and incredibly high surf at 20 feet, up to 34 feet by Saturday.

The weekend's inclement weather has even canceled the beginning of the Glass Floats Finders Keepers in Lincoln City, starting this Saturday. It is now postponed until next weekend.

Winds will increase greatly starting Thursday for the beaches, Portland and other valley towns, the NWS said, with the heaviest at the coast. This includes towns like Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Tillamook, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Newport and Yachats.

“Coastal communities can expect winds around 25 to 45 mph with gusts 55 to 65 mph,” the NWS said. “Inland winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph are likely. A few gusts to 45 mph are possible. Inland, this will result in some broken branches and a few weak trees may go down. Will also see loose objects get blown around. Another stronger system will bring another round of strong winds on Saturday.”

Beaches and headlands could see gusts from 65 mph to 80 mph. The NWS said to expect trees knocked and possibly power outages.

“Debris on roads may make travel difficult,” the NWS said.

Rain will be heavy at times in most places around the state on Thursday.

Seas will really pick up on Thursday, clocking in at over 20 feet high that day. Sea buoys will be registering combined seas of 24 feet, the NWS said.

The agency warned much larger waves will be found further up the beaches than usual, creating a variety of hazards. Sneaker waves and debris will be especially dangerous, hitting with little or no warning. These can knock you down or even wash you out to sea.

“Given the cold ocean temperatures along the coast, hypothermia can quickly turn such situations deadly," the NWS said. "Beach erosion will be possible.”

It will be important to stay off beaches and far from jetties. While the storm watching conditions will be remarkable that day, the only safe place to view them is in beach access parking lots, from your hotel room or at viewpoints looking over the rocky cliffs of Yachats, Oceanside, Silver Point (near Cannon Beach) or Depoe Bay. High winds will make anything but viewing from your car extremely uncomfortable. (Find oceanfront on the Oregon coast)

Friday calms down considerably.

“After a short break on Friday, a stronger system will push through the region on Saturday with more heavy rain, and a better chance of possible high winds and high surf,” the NWS said.

Exactly what kind of winds are coming on Saturday for the beaches the NWS has not released just yet, but its marine forecast is calling for up to 70 mph gusts that night. Other media outlets are predicting gusts up to 90 mph on Saturday.

Meanwhile, seas will drop a bit on Friday, but still at a fairly high 16 feet. Saturday they jump back up to combined seas of 27 feet and then a mammoth 34 feet later that evening. Sunday they sink to a still-quite-large 22 feet, and Monday sees sizable wave height at 17 feet.

On the southern Oregon coast, Curry County has been issued a flood watch for Thursday afternoon through midnight. There are currently no other flood watches issued for any other beach area. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours (See Oregon Coast Weather for updates).

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