Beautiful Snow Day on Oregon Coast Not All Fun: Photo Gallery, Roads Closed

Published 02/23/23 at 10:29 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) – Nothing short of stunning was all that snow today (Thursday) along the Oregon coastline, but there's definitely been a downside. Roads shut down along Highway 101, the Oregon Coast Range had plenty of issues with closures, delays in those passes are still happening at this hour (late Thursday), and of course the Portland area became a new snowpocalypse for many. (Above: photo courtesy Rockaway Beach Visitors)

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) at their Portland Airport office location, that spot received 10.8 inches of snow, the second largest amount since 1943. The storm not only set a record but its quick left turns into chaos took forecasters by surprise and overwhelmed ODOT. Some sections of Portland, like I-5, saw cars stranded Wednesday night from 5 p.m well past midnight.

One Portland employee told Oregon Coast Beach Connection it took him nine hours to get home from work at Noodles Restaurant on Beaverton / Hillsday Hwy.

While the horror stories abounded along the I-5 corridor, it was mostly gorgeous whites along the entirety of the Oregon coast, though some roads shut down due to falling trees such as just north of Neskowin, near Waldport, Lincoln City, and along some Coast Range highways. Power outages plagued many areas.

Lincoln County and much of Tillamook County received the worst of it, but also the best photographs. (Above: Rockaway Beach, courtesy Rockaway Beach Visitors.)

Lincoln County authorities sent out some warnings about various roads being shut down early in the day and that more could be on the horizon, with not much warming for another day or so.

“Expect ice, snow, and downed trees in many areas,” the county said. “Where power is out, signals are four way stops.”

According to ODOT, areas still closed are a large section of Highway 34 near Tidewater, with the Alsea Highway closed from milepost 5 to 28. Near Newport, U.S. 20 is still closed at this hour, from milepost 10 to 20. Highway 101 just north of Lincoln City is still down from MP 96 to 105. (In this photo from Angi D. Wildt Gallery in Astoria, you see the Washington coast's Willapa Hills in snow-covered peaks)

Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather

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Closures at Highway 6 and Highway 18 near Otis are over, but some delays may still exist. Chains are required on the summits of those highways and Highway 26.

In Bandon, on the south Oregon coast, Manuela Durson (see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more) snagged incredible drone footage of Face Rock in the freezing air, along with other landmarks like Wizards Hat Rock and the Coquille River Lighthouse under a white blanket. See the video at this link

Farther south, the Facebook group The Chetco snagged this lovely shot of the Meyers Creek area, where the seastack sometimes (and erroneously) referred to as Kissing Rock resides.

In spite of these striking sights, no road issues were reported on the south Oregon coast, except for the area around Humbug Point that sank a few weeks ago where delays still linger.

Cape Meares Lighthouse near Oceanside became one stunning visage today, thanks to this photo from Friends of Netarts Bay Watershed, Estuary, Beach, and Sea – WEBS.

Friends of Netarts Bay Watershed, Estuary, Beach, and Sea – WEBS.

The group also posted this remarkable new look for the Octopus Tree at Cape Meares State Park.

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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.

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