Powerful Storm to Hit Oregon Coast, Snow in Mountains

Published 12/16/2012

(Oregon Coast) – A high wind warning is in effect for the Oregon coast and south Washington coast from 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon until 1 p.m. Monday. But this is also a storm that could impact Portland to some degree but certainly travel through the Cascade Mountains.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland issued the alert, saying beaches and headlands could get gusts up to 65 to 75 mph later in the evening.

“Winds will turn west to southwest later Sunday night, but remain strong with gusts of 70 to 75 overnight,” the NWS said in a bulletin.

The strongest winds will be along the north coast and southern Washington coast. Strong winds will continue into Monday morning, eventually easing in the afternoon.

For cities along the coast, the NWS said south winds will reach up to around 30 to 45 mph, with gusts up to as high as 65 mph. It is possible even towns like Cannon Beach, Seaside, Warrenton, Astoria, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach and many others along the north coast could see gusts up to 75 mph through into Monday morning.

The NWS said the strongest winds will be between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, but another round will hit the coastal region overnight on Sunday and early into Monday. That second round will have the real punch.

“It will impact more than the locations typically impacted in a high wind coastal event,” the NWS said.

Steve Pierce, President of the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society, said this will be the most powerful storm to hit so far this season. This could impact holiday travel for a time, bringing snow to some lower elevations as well as high winds knocking out power on the coast.

“The path of this system will ultimately determine the outcome of who will see the strongest winds and the best chances for lower elevation snow showers Monday night, after the storm passes,” Pierce said.

"The system will pass by Monday early morning, followed by much colder air and lowering snowfall levels once again. Anything that falls from the sky will be scattered in nature and not likely to cause any travel issues at the lowest elevations. The Cascade mountains will see several feet of new snow between now and Wednesday. This will cause holiday travel problems over the mountain passes, just as schools let out for the winter break. Longer range models continue to show colder than normal temperatures across the Pacific Northwest with more storm systems on tap next week. Snow levels will also remain below pass levels."

Photo above: storm surge hits Seaside's Prom (photo courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

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

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

LATEST OREGON COAST NEWS STORIES

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted