Potential for Lightning / Wind Storms in Valley, Cascades; South Oregon Coast Sneaker Waves

Published 05/27/26 at 7:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Bandon,, Oregon) – There's quite a mixed bag of weather in store for Oregon Wednesday and Thursday, though things mellow out into more uneventful considtions over the weekend. (Photo Pacific City, Joe Zwink in 2023)

The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of sneaker wave dangers on the southern coast and some amounts of lightning, winds and hail in the Cascades and east of there – but also parts of the valley and central coast.

Copious amounts of lightning hit southeast Oregon coast Wednesday, as displayed by the video below from the NOAA GOES satellite.

Forecasters say the strongest thunderstorms Thursday will remain east of the Cascades, but parts of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington could still see isolated to scattered storms in the afternoon and evening.

The NWS has placed the central Oregon to south Washington Cascades under a Marginal Risk for severe weather, with a Slight Risk extending into the Hood River Valley. Any stronger storms that form could produce wind gusts up to 60 mph and a small chance of quarter-size hail. Frequent lightning is also possible.

“The main concerns with any stronger storm that does develop will be damaging wind gusts to 60 mph as well as a 5% chance of quarter-sized hail,” the NWS said.

A Beach Hazards Statement is in effect from 5 p.m. Wednesday through late Thursday night for the beaches of Douglas, Coos and Curry counties, where forecasters say a moderate risk of sneaker waves is expected. This affects Brookings, Gold Beach, Coos Bay, Bandon and Reedsport.

The NWS warns that sneaker waves can surge much farther up the beach than normal, washing over rocks and jetties and potentially knocking people off their feet. Logs and other debris may also be moved by the surf, creating additional hazards for anyone nearby.

Officials advise staying off rocks and jetties and keeping a safe distance from the water during the advisory period. A detailed hazard map is available at the National Weather Service website.

The period between swells is a big part of the culprit. The longer the timing the more waves can pile up into one larger wave.

General Oregon Weather    

“Long period northwest swell, originating from recent storms near the Kamchatka and western Aleutian Islands, will build into the southern Oregon coastal waters today,” the NWS said. “Initially arriving as 2 to 3 feet at around 20 seconds, swell will peak at 6 to 8 feet at around 17 seconds during the day Thursday. The threat will be highest during periods of incoming tides, which will be during the morning, and during the late afternoon and evening on Thursday.”

While the north Oregon coast waters are expected to reach around 10 feet tonight and Thursday – along with a long period swell of 12 seconds at times – there are no beach hazard statements.

Thursday is looking at sunny and 84 around Portland / Vancouver and much of the valley areas, while the north Oregon coast is seeing some amount of sun and temps in the lower 60s. Farther south on the coast it's foggy and in the upper 50s.

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