Coastal Flood — Central Oregon Coast, Oregon

2022-01-03 · Central Oregon Coast, Oregon

Event narrative

Highway 126 at Cushman was closed due to high water caused by a combination of high tide of 11.9 feet as measured at the South Beach tide gauge, and rising of the Siuslaw river due to recent heavy rain. This event ranked #2 for highest tide at the Garibaldi tide gauge.

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 1004272. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.