Heaviest Storm Delayed But Still Coming to Portland, Oregon Coast
Published 04/07/2018 at 6:05 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff
(Oregon Coast) – The big storm for the Oregon coast, Portland and the inland valley has been slightly delayed, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) – along with massive seas. The biggest winds are still coming, with the NWS extending the high wind warning for the coast through 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, and the high surf advisory extended through 1 p.m. Sunday. (Above: Cape Kiwanda in a storm, courtesy Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department).
“Strongest winds Saturday have been delayed, but are coming,” the NWS said. “Winds will increase Saturday reaching their peak by evening. Beaches and headlands likely to see gusts to 70 mph, coastal communities gusts to 60 mph. Exposed ridges along the Coast Range should have gusts to 60 mph. Inland Valleys and locations including Eugene, Salem, Portland and Vancouver likely to have gusts 40 to 50 mph. These strong winds could produce local power outages, falling trees and branches and power lines. Travel may be difficult for high profile vehicles and over bridges.”
The NWS said a high wind warning means hazardous weather conditions of strong and damaging winds are imminent or highly likely in the warning area.
So far, the north Oregon coast has experienced a few heavy gusts, according to Brian Hines, owner of San Dune Inn in Manzanita. There were periods of considerable thunder and lightning he said. It’s not been much out of the ordinary, however.
The central Oregon coast seems to have been hit a little harder, with some in Newport reporting jarring conditions on the Yaquina Bay Bridge.
Wave height tonight will be building to 27 feet, then dropping a little to 24 feet. On Sunday they inch down to 23 feet, subsiding to just under 20 feet late in the evening.
“Waves will run up much higher on beaches than normal,” the NWS said. “These powerful waves can sweep people off jetties and other exposed rocks. The waves can easily move large logs and other beach debris. Bar crossings and the surf zone will be dangerous due to strong currents and breaking waves.”
Portland and the valley will get hit with lots of heavy rains and outages are still expected. Some spots in the metro area already experienced power issues: the top of the Sylvan exit on Highway 26 was without power for a time.
On Monday, conditions clear up to fairly to mostly sunny on the beaches and inland. More small storm systems begin tracking in on Tuesday, bringing wave height up to 15 to 17 feet on and off over the week. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours - More Oregon Coast Weather.
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