High Surf — South Coast, Washington

2022-01-02 to 2022-01-03 · South Coast, Washington

Event narrative

The seas at buoy 46029 (20NM West of Columbia River Mouth) rose above 26 feet at 11 seconds which would bring high surf conditions to the coastline. High Surf conditions continued at times through 1/3/2022 at 1640PST, then seas gradually subsided.

Wider weather episode

The first of two strong Pacific fronts brought high winds to the coast as well as gusty winds to the Willamette Valley and interior lowlands of southwest Washington. This storm generated large seas impacting the coastline, and combined with rising river levels and high astronomical tides, resulted in some flooding along the coast due to poor drainage. In addition to the wind and rain, heavy snow fell in the mountains and in the Columbia River Gorge where transportation corridors between western and eastern Oregon and Washington were temporarily closed due the heavy snow accumulation.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1004230. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.