High Surf — Central Coast, Washington

2021-01-10 to 2021-01-12 · Central Coast, Washington

Event narrative

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office reported a fatality near the Pacific Beach State Park around 10:30 AM on January 10. A 54 year old woman from Oak Harbor, Washington was killed after being struck by a log on the beach. She and her husband were walking on the beach when a large set of waves came in and they stood on top of the log to avoid the waves. A wave knocked both of them of the log and rolled over them.

Wider weather episode

A weak weather system (followed quickly by several stronger systems) brought dangerous beach conditions and high surf to the Coast on from January 10-12. These dangerous beach conditions claimed the life of a woman on January 10.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 939420. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.