UPDATED: Huge Waves, High Wind Warning for Oregon Coast This Week

Published 10/17/2017 at 5:07 PM PDT - Updated 10/18/2017 at 2:07 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – UPDATED: Changed to High Wind Warning, High Surf Advisory. A storm is a brewin' for the Oregon coast. The first sizable tempest of the season will be kicking in on Wednesday, bringing what is now a high wind warning for the northern third of the coastline, including Cannon Beach, Astoria, Pacific City, Manzanita, Garibaldi and Seaside.

The icing on the cake for storm watchers: huge waves will start knocking things around on Wednesday but will really put on a show on Thursday. There is a high surf advisory all of the coastline, in effect from Thursday evening to Friday morning.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland issued the high wind watch yesterday for the north Oregon coast, but today changed it to a high wind warning. It is in effect today until 11 p.m., with the strongest winds until about 9 p.m.. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph on the beaches and headlands are possible, but gusts as high as 65 mph could occur.

Meanwhile, the central Oregon coast – including Lincoln City, Yachats, Depoe Bay and Newport – are looking at no more than 35-mph gusts on Wednesday and sustained winds in the 20's.

Coastal communities on the northern third are likely to get gusts as high as 55 mph, the NWS said.

The impact is the likelihood of some limb damage and possible power outages.

“A High Wind Watch means there is the potential for a hazardous high wind event. Sustained winds of at least 40 mph, or gusts of 58 mph or stronger may occur,” the NWS said.

All areas of the coast will get drenched with a fair amount of rain, up to half an inch on Wednesday.

Massive waves will be the highlight, however. On Wednesday, combined seas rise to 15 feet later in the day, which will bring gargantuan waves to rocky areas like Oceanside, Cape Kiwanda, southern Seaside and the jetties around Astoria.

Combined seas rise considerably to around 20 feet – at least – on Thursday and Friday. Some areas could get combined seas up around 28 feet at times. However, this may not always translate to waves as big as that may sound. The timing of the waves is around 10 seconds or more, which makes conditions more difficult at sea than on the beaches. However, spots like Yachats and Depoe Bay will likely be spectacular nonetheless.

The NWS added a high surf advisory late Wednesday, warning to stay off beaches and keep well back of rocky shorelines. Always stay off jetties at any time of year.

The NWS said Portland will get more drenched than the north coast, and that it is quite certain of this forecast for the beaches. - See here for beach safety: Watching Storms Safely on the Oregon Coast

“Models are looking more favorable that the beaches and headlands could have gusts close to 60 mph, so have issued a High Wind Watch for the beaches and headlands,” the NWS said. “Although these wind speeds are not particularly strong for the coast, they will be the strongest winds the coast has seen in quite a while.” Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours. See more Oregon Coast Weather.

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