Oregon And Washington Varied Alerts: High Winds, Flooding, 30-ft Waves on Coast

Published 12/25/24 at 7:25 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Florence, Oregon) – Flooding, high winds, a variety of surf advisories and warnings, and even snow are lighting up the National Weather Service (NWS) alerts left and right. Oregon and Washington are getting the atmospheric river treatment with lots of rain, but the coastlines are getting especially hit hard. Even Seattle gets in on the act. (Photo of Newport getting inundated - Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

For the southern Oregon coast there's a much more dangerous high surf warning, with waves 30 – 35 feet. The warning is in effect for two whole days – until Friday afternoon – for the areas around Brookings, Gold Beach, Port Orford, Coos Bay, Bandon and Reedsport.

“Extremely large breaking waves will create very hazardous conditions along beaches and area shorelines,” the NWS said.

For the entire upper half of Oregon's beach areas into most of Washington's coast, there are are high surf advisories in effect until Friday afternoon or morning. There, waves up to 30 feet feet are expected and the NWS advises to stay off beaches almost as sternly as they do for the south Oregon coast.

Photo Oregon's Adventure Coast

Much more dangerous are smaller beaches with no escape route such as Gleneden Beach, parts of Lincoln City, Oceanside, Humbug Mt area, parts of Port Orford or Newport.

'Wave Height' Explained Along Oregon, Washington Coast: What It Means What does it mean when the NWS says '30-foot waves' are coming onshore?

Places putting on a good show should be Depoe Bay, Cook's Chasm and Yachats in general, Shore Acres and Cape Disappointment – if you can stand the winds. Stay far back from the action, however, and keep off all jetties.

With various storm warnings offshore, the NWS said more of these conditions are coming to beaches even after the warnings expire on Friday. By Monday, offshore waves look to still be near 20 feet in some areas, which is likely to trigger further warnings or advisories on beaches.

Stormy Depoe Bay at night / Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Central Washington Coast Flood Warning. In effect from until 2 p.m. Thursday, there's also a high surf warning for the areas surrounding Westport until 10 a.m. Friday.

See  Oregon Coast Weather (including tides) - Inland Oregon Weather

“Inundation of between 2 and 2.5 feet above ground level is possible along shorelines and low-lying coastal areas,” the NWS said. “For the High Surf Advisory, large breaking waves of 18 to 23 feet in the surf zone.”

Central Washington Coast. High wind warning is in effect from 10 p.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, covering areas around Aberdeen and Hoquiam. Gusts up to 60 mph are possible, with sustained winds 25 to 35 mph.

North Oregon Coast and South Washington Coast: High wind warning in effect through 8 a.m. Thursday for all areas between Florence and Raymond, Washington. This includes Naselle, Long Beach, Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Tillamook, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport and all the way down to Florence at the halfway mark on Oregon's shoreline.

“South winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts 55 to 65 mph are expected along the headlands and open exposed areas like the beaches,” the NWS said. “Elsewhere, expect gusts of 45 to 55 mph.”

Lincoln City - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

High Wind Advisory Seattle / NW Washington. The NWS in Seattle is saying you should tie down objects outside, with SW winds around 20 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. The advisory is in effect through Thursday morning.

Portland and the I-5 corridor are clear of such issues, but some parts of eastern such as Madras have wind advisories as well.

Snow in Cascades: The NWS said snow levels will lower to 4500-5500 feet. “Around 6-11 inches is forecast at pass level through Thursday afternoon with up to 1-2 feet above 5500 feet.”

Keep an eye out for more warnings or advisories to be issued: See  Oregon Coast Weather.

Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright © Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted