High Surf — Central Oregon Coast, Oregon

2014-04-20 · Central Oregon Coast, Oregon

Event narrative

A report on a social media network from the Oregon State Police News reported a fatality indirectly related to high surf at the North Jetty in Florence, OR. The time of the accident occurred at 5:55 pm which was around 3 hours after a High Surf Advisory had expired. Water rushing up the beach swept three family members that were sitting on a large log away from the log. One of the victims tried to help an elderly family member up from being knocked down by the water when the log estimated to be 40 ft long and 25 inches in diameter rolled over him. The man sustained fatal injuries from being struck by the log.

Wider weather episode

High surf resulted in rapid rushes of water onto local beaches. One such surge of water swept two people into the ocean. A third person attempted to rescue one of the victims and was struck by a large log that was rolling in the tide. The injuries from this log were fatal.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 502258. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.