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Wind Warning for Coast, Snow for Inland Oregon

Published 04/01/2010

Near Yachats: conditions like these may mean crazy foam on the beaches that is so frothed up it looks like snow.

(Oregon Coast) – A wild mix of spring weather is coming to the coast as well as parts of inland Oregon, as the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a high wind warning for the coast and a special weather statement that involves snow and heavy rain for other areas of the state.

“Another strong front is heading for the coast early Friday,” the NWS said in a bulletin. “A strong low pressure system will move into the northeast Pacific late Thursday and early Friday morning.”

The NWS said the system will drive a strong warm front onshore into the northwest late Thursday, creating windy conditions. It means potentially damaging winds along the coast and in the coast range, which could result in gusts as high as 80 mph on the beaches.

Storm waves near Depoe Bay

As the surface low moves inland on Friday morning, brisk winds will develop in the Willamette Valley.

Most of the Oregon coast and parts of the southern Washington coast are predicted to get hit with heavy winds in the morning and afternoon. A high wind warning is in effect from 1 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, from the Florence area all the way through to southern Washington’s coast.

“South winds will increase to as high as 40 mph after midnight, with gusts up to 80 mph for the beaches and coastal headlands,” the NWS said. “As the cold front moves onshore Friday morning, the coastal communities will see winds increase.”

Winds will begin exceeding 60 mph around 1 a.m., with peak gusts hitting their highs around 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. The NWS said potentially damaging winds are possible until early afternoon, however.

Mt. Hebo, near Tillamook, could get gusts as high as 90 mph.

Heavy winds in Manzanita

Conditions are expected to calm down by Saturday on the coast, but it will remain rainy and overcast most of the time until later in the week.

One to two inches of rain is set to pour down on the coast, while the coast range will get a bigger does of around two to four inches.

Friday will see the heaviest rainfall for the Willamette Valley at around one inch.

The special weather statement for Oregon includes the coast as well as inland cities like Grande Ronde, St. Helens, Hillsboro, Portland, Gresham, Eugene, Corvallis, Albany, Hood River, Silver Falls State Park, Sandy, Cascade Locks, Santiam Pass, Cottage Grove, Government Camp, Detroit, Oakridge, Salem, Vancouver, Stevenson, Kelso and Longview, among others in Washington and Oregon.

Wind damage near Cannon Beach

The NWS said those areas could should expect gusts up to 50 mph and an advisory is expected to come for the Willamette Valley. Snow levels should remain around 2000 to 3000 feet Thursday, but will drop to around 1,000 feet on Friday. They will rise later in the afternoon to more normal levels, but in the meantime the combination of snow and heavy winds may make for blizzard-like conditions in higher elevations.

One to three feet of snow is expected in the Cascades and upper Hood River Valley.

Light snow is briefly expected on the routes to the Oregon coast and Washington coast.

“In the central Oregon Cascade Foothills, four to eight inches of snow are expected,” the NWS said. “A quick three to six inches of snow will fall in the north Oregon coast range and Willapa Hills before precipitation changes to rain there Friday morning.”

The NWS said storm damage could increase with saturated soils and trees losing their leaves, creating flooding on roads or even landslides in hilly areas of Oregon.

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