CANNON BEACH, Ore. - Whipping sands put on a show of zig-zagging shapes on the ground. White caps on incoming waves are blown off in a burst of mist and sideways rain squalls pummel the shore as the Oregon Coast braves second big wind storm of the rainy season.
On the beach in Seaside, a handful of storm watchers put their back to the blustery 50 mile an hour gusty winds so far with this storm.
“This is awesome,” says Panny Hu from British Columbia on his first visit to the Oregon Coast. “In Vancouver [Canada], we’re blocked by Vancouver Island, so we don’t ever get conditions like this. Here, there’s nothing between us and Hong Kong. We really lucked out today.”
At Tolovana State Park in Cannon Beach the pounding surf with the larger waves seems to consume all of the beach itself. Some of the bigger waves come right up to the bottom of the staircase that leads visitors to the beach from the parking lot.
The National Weather Service office in Portland has issued multiple advisories for severe weather along the Oregon and SW Washington coastline. High Wind Warnings are in place through this evening for gusts that could reach between 60 and 70 miles per hour. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in place for areas that could flood during high tide events in the next day. Plus, a Surf Advisory is in effect due to the powerful incoming waves that are expected through Saturday.
“This is a pretty good one.” says Kyle the manager of the Coast Hardware in Seaside. He says supplies of batteries, lamp oil and lanterns have been steadily selling from their store end-cap with the a sign over head that warns “prepare." He says it is nothing like the storm in December of 2006 that brought wind gusts in excess of 100 miles an hour to the north Oregon Coast and plunged most coastal towns into darkness for three days.
With this November blow, only a few power lines were reported knocked over- including one between Manzanita and Cannon Beach that stopped traffic on Highway 101 for a short period of time.
Folks heading out to do storm watching should remember a few key safety tips from authorities. Stay off rocky ledges, because cliffs can fail in these types of events due the wave erosion from below. Since it only takes a few inches of water to float a huge log, make sure you stay off of beach debris. And experts always advise to never turn your back on the ocean, sneaker waves in these type of weather situations are very unpredictable.
