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Published 10/12/09

Oregon Coast, Portland Ready for First Stormy Weather

An abundance of white caps in Cannon Beach Sunday are evidence of east winds.

(Oregon Coast) - After weeks of stellar, sunny and dry conditions on the Oregon coast, it looks like major rain, big seas and maybe even gale force winds may hit the beaches and parts of western Oregon.

An arctic system has moved into the eastern halves of Washington and Oregon, causing chilly conditions for the western parts of those states, which culminated in extremely cold temperatures on Sunday night – except for the coastal region, which was protected by the coast range and the moderate ocean air.

All that will change, however, as the first big storms of the season are poised to pounce on the coast, coming from the west and delivering rain and winds to the valley as well.

Depoe Bay was sunny, warm and typefied by calm waters during the weekend.

“Early Tuesday marks the onset of the stormy weather as the first storm moves north along the coast,” the NWS said in a bulletin. “There could even be some brief mixed winter precipitation near the passes of the south Washington and far north Oregon Cascades, and near Hood River Tuesday. This system finished moving through Tuesday night and Wednesday, followed by another damp and breezy system Thursday.”

The NWS said another is likely to hit on Friday and Saturday, making for four days of rain and maybe much more, certainly along the beaches of Oregon.

“Northwest Oregon and southwest Washington will see its share of active weather throughout this week,” the NWS said.

The Depoe Bay area will likely look a little more like this over the next week.

A sixty percent chance of rain is in store for the coastal region Monday night, as things start getting underway.

Tuesday calls for maybe half an inch of rain, along with wind and possible thunder, making things a little more exciting on the coast. Highs will be around 55 and winds as high as 25 mph.

Wednesday calls for more rain and highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the lower 50’s.

Thursday is predicted to be about the same, while rain turns to showers on Friday and Saturday, with highs in the upper 60’s (making it warmer than the valley at times).

Meanwhile, the seas are expected to kick up and put on a bit of a show, but officials caution to take extreme care while visiting the beaches. Stay off rocky areas near the surf in such conditions, and keep clear of narrow beaches where tidal swells are causing the waves to come up far from the usual tide line.

Foamy, stormy waves at Gleneden Beach, near Lincoln City.

In Portland, it reached an icy 35 degrees overnight as east winds kicked into high gear occasionally. In Manzanita, it only got down to 43 degrees.

As BeachConnection.net staff drove from Manzanita to Portland last night, it was obvious no stormy conditions were following as they headed over the coast range, as is usually the case. This time, the east winds were the culprit.

At the San Dune Inn in Manzanita, owner Brian Hines was holding onto the last bit of good coastal weather for a while – the same stuff that had been coaxing tourists out to the coast in great numbers and helping to make for a good month for his business.

“A little chilly here today,” Hines said. “Slight wind out of the east, partly cloudy with a waning sun - doesn't know whether it wants to be cloudy or sunny. Didn't get that cold or windy last night, but it’s supposed to start raining tomorrow through Wednesday. Not a big storm or anything, though.”

More About Oregon Coast lodging for storm watching.....

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