Large, Gnarly Waves and More Safety Warnings for Oregon, Washington Coast

Published 11/12/2026 at 9:58 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Things are not letting up on the coastal portion of the Pacific Northwest. Waves as high as 35 feet may be hitting the south coast, with a little bit less up north.

This is not a time to be on any beach in the region. Storm watching from far above is fine, but stay far back – not as some tried to do this past weekend. Several people narrowly avoided tragedy on Sunday, and one woman had to be rescued from raging breakers. Woman Rescued From Ocean at South Oregon Coast's Secret Beach During Weekend's High Waves

First, there's a high warning in effect from Thursday night through Friday morning for the south coast, with wind gusts up to 65 mph.

As the cliché goes: but wait, there's more...

A High Surf Warning remains in effect from Friday morning through Saturday evening for the southern Oregon Coast, with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning of dangerously large and damaging waves along area beaches.

Breaking wave heights are expected to reach 20 to 25 feet Friday before increasing to 30 to 35 feet late Friday into Saturday. The warning covers the South Central Oregon Coast and Curry County Coast, including Charleston, Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings.

Pacific Northwest Weather | Oregon, Washington, Coastline (see NW from space) |---| Washington Coast Weather |---| Oregon Coast Weather |---| Inland Oregon Weather

“Extremely large breaking waves will create very hazardous conditions along beaches and area shorelines,” the NWS said. “Waves will inundate beaches and surge into normally dry areas.”

While surf heights may ease somewhat late Saturday, with breaking waves lowering into the 24- to 27-foot range, hazardous beach conditions are expected to persist. Another large ocean swell is forecast to keep the coast dangerous through much of the weekend and into Monday, prompting officials to urge beachgoers to use extreme caution near the shoreline.

Once again, Shore Acres will almost certainly put on a show.

A Weekend of Near-Deadly Misses Along the Oregon Coast in Video

On the northern half of the coast and south Washington coast, there is no official warning or advisory yet, but the NWS office in Portland is still sending out messages of extreme caution.

Waves breaking onshore from Florence through about Westport could get close to that 30-foot mark on the southern half.

The NWS said it's a moderate to high sneaker wave threat that remains in effect along the northern Oregon coast through the week as a powerful westerly swell of 12 to 16 feet at 14 seconds continues to impact beaches.

Conditions are expected to worsen late Friday into Saturday as confidence increases in the arrival of a stronger westerly swell of 18 to 24 feet with wave periods of 16 to 18 seconds. The larger surf could produce dangerous and potentially destructive waves capable of washing unexpectedly over beaches, jetties, and coastal structures.

“Extreme caution should be used if you plan to visit beaches this week,” the NWS said. “The large wave runup may dislodge logs on area beaches and result in them rolling up and down area beaches, which have historically killed or seriously injured unsuspecting people, so there will be much more of a threat than just getting wet from a rogue wave."

Waves subside a bit on Sunday, but just offshore they ramp up to 21 feet again and it's quite possible more alerts are coming.

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