Big Winds, Waves on Oregon Coast Tuesday

Published 02/27/2012

(Oregon Coast) – Big winds and big waves are in store for the Oregon coast Tuesday – a late winter present of good storm watch possibilities (above: wacky waves near Cannon Beach).

A wind warning was issued by the NWS this weekend for most of Tuesday on the Oregon coast. The warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, predicting gusts up to 70 mph. It was upgraded from a high wind watch to a warning over the weekend.

Winds will get heavy along the southern Washington coast and in Oregon coast towns such as Astoria, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Tillamook, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Yachats and Florence. The NWS said south winds from 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph, are expected along the Washington coast. It gets heavier the farther south you go, with south winds along the Oregon coast from 40 to 50 mph and gusts up to 70 mph expected.

Winds will carry much more punch along the beaches and headlands.

“Winds will increase Tuesday afternoon,” the NWS said in a bulletin. “The strongest winds will be late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening. The winds will decrease once a cold front moves onshore by midnight.”

The NWS said the impact from these winds could be tree damage, power disruption and difficulty driving – especially for trucks and trailers.

It's also created a storm warning on the seas. The NWS issued a warning for sea faring vessels in the area, but the big ocean conditions will likely result in some possible hazards along the beaches – and likely some stellar storm watching as well.

The NWS said seas offshore will build to 17 to 20 feet on Tuesday and then peak around 23 feet on Wednesday morning.

For boaters, the NWS said this means they should take shelter and remain in port. For commercial vessels, they should prepare for dangerous sea conditions and consider remaining in port as well.

For those on the beaches, the NWS office in Portland said the surf will be “higher than normal,” which will translate to awesome wave watching – but cause for caution. A meteorologist at the office said wave conditions are large enough that they are approaching the criteria for issuing a high surf advisory, but so far that does not appear to be required.

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