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Oregon Coast Storm More Waves and Thunder Than Wind

Published 10/26/2010

Big waves at Arch Cape, south of Cannon Beach (seen from Arch Cape Inn and Retreat)

(Oregon Coast) - It's the beginning of storm season on the coast, but so far, the first big one hasn't proven to be much of a tempest at all.

“Sorry, it was kind of a wimpy storm, as storms go,” said Danielle Emerick, manager of Starfish Point in Newport. “Lots of rain, but wind didn't live up to predictions.”

As yet, mostly winds in the 30’s or 40’s have been clocked, and there hasn’t been any official declaration of winds around the 60 mph mark. Some, like Barbara Shaw of Shaw's BnB near Cannon Beach, think there were some pretty heavy gusts, however.

Emerick said she’s only seen gusts around 30 to 35 mph Sunday.

Heavy clouds start to roll in on Thursday in Rockaway Beach

There is, however, a prediction by the National Weather Service (NWS) that things will start gusting around 40 to 45 mph later Sunday night. The NWS has issued a high surf advisory for the coast, and some major thunder and lightning have crackled their way across the coastline.

“We are experiencing big waves and high tides that should last through the next few days,” Emerick said. “We have battened down the hatches, so to speak, and are ready for the storm watch season with specials for the rest of October.”

The jetty at Newport's Yaquina Bay: not a place to be in these conditions

At Shaw’s BnB, Shaw called it just a “regular storm.”

“Nothing too spectacular,” Shaw said. “The waves didn’t come up to the gate or anything.”

In Depoe Bay, Trollers Lodge owner Peg Leoni has a small weather station which clocked the highest gust at around 38 mph.

“The rain is mostly horizontal so it doesn't record much,” Leoni said. “Just saw the Depoe Bay Harbormaster and the Coast Guard at the end of Ellingson Street with cameras. Spectacular wave action for sure. Seawall parking is packed.”

Michelle Franck, at Oregon Beach House Rentals in Lincoln City, noted the waves were maniacal and the storm raged during most of the morning, but it later calmed for a while.

A storm surge reaches the stairway below Starfish Point in Newport (courtesy photo)

“Storm watching today from Road's End has been a gamut of black to blue to surf to wind to rain and back,” Franck said. “Rain pounded early this morning and the wind howled.”

No electricity problems were reported.

The high surf did create some problems, with some flood warnings in bays that had jetties, like at the mouth of Columbia, Tillamook Bay, Nehalem Bay and Yaquina Bay.

Leoni’s black lab dog, Samantha, probably fared worse than most.

“Had enough rain and wind that Samantha is reluctant to go out,” Leoni said. “She answers the ‘call of nature’ with supersonic speed.”

Depoe Bay's Spouting Horn fires up during these conditions (photo Angi Wildt, Depoe Bay Winery)

Some had building structure problems to contend with, like Don Weller and Cynthia Scott at Ona Beach Bed & Breakfast near Newport. They recently discovered some structural damage to the front wall of the BnB. The repair work commenced just as that run of beautiful weather hit the coast in recent weeks. The day after the last shingle was nailed in, the thunderstorm hit.

“It’s holding up very well, not a drop inside,” said Weller. “And the big windows no longer squeak with the wind gusts.”

The NWS said more scattered thunderstorms will continue to move through the north and central coast, and there will be more moments of heavy rain.

Huge storm surge reaches near the Seaside Turnaround (photo Seaside Aquarium)

A high surf warning is in effect until early Monday evening.

“Large swells generated by a strong offshore storm will impact the north and central Oregon coast this afternoon and continue through Monday afternoon,” the NWS said.

Swells may get up to 30 to 35 feet overnight, and then hover around 25 to 30 feet throughout Monday, until they drop down to a still impressive 20 feet on Tuesday.

Stormy waves take over Hug Point, near Cannon Beach

The NWS said this is not a time to be near the water and to stay completely clear of jetties or small beaches. Areas where the waves could splash upwards are also extremely dangerous, like Yachats or Oceanside, as these could literally shoot large, heavy objects onto the people.

This will create spectacular sights while staying up high and away from the waves. Vantage points like this will be the seawall at Depoe Bay, above the parking lot at Oceanside, lookouts above Manzanita and Cannon Beach’s Ecola State Park, above the rocky beaches of Yachats, Cook’s Chasm and Devil’s Churn nearby, and above Nye Beach’s Jump-Off Joe structure.

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