Northwest Coast Could See Waterspouts, Tornadoes Sunday

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Extreme weather is heading for the Oregon coast.

Coastal residents and visitors from southwest Washington to at least the Florence area should expect high winds and seas Sunday afternoon into Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

“It’s an interesting setup,” said Miles Higa, a weather service meteorologist in Portland.

The incoming weather system might cause waterspouts over the Pacific Ocean that could reach the coastline, becoming tornadoes when they hit land, Higa said.

He called this weather pattern not certain but “certainly possible.”

Winds at headlands could reach 30 to 45 mph, Higa said, with gusts up to 60 or 65 mph. Coastal communities could see gusts about 30 to 45 mph just slightly inland.

The waves are also expected to be big. Higa estimated breakers on some beaches will reach 30 to 35 feet Sunday night.

“Hopefully no one’s on the beach at that point,” he said.



The weather should start to calm down Monday, he said, but visitors should still expect waves of up to 20 feet.

The coast should be back to “typical fall-type seas” by Tuesday, Higa said.

Meanwhile, Portland continued to get rain Saturday.

“We get a break tonight and then tomorrow things pick up again,” Higa said.

While the rain may put a damper on outdoor activities, it’s a good thing for the outdoors.

“We are gaining on our deficit,” Higa said, noting that as of midnight Friday, Portland had gotten 20.38 inches of rain this year — 4.05 inches below normal totals.

“We’re chipping away at it a little bit at a time,” he said.

Higa also had good news for witches, ghosts and Avengers hoping to go trick-or-treating for Halloween next weekend: No rain is currently in the forecast for Oct. 31.