Washington’s coast battered by major waves, flooding

An offshore storm led to massive waves and flooding Thursday on the Washington and Oregon coasts.

The National Weather Service recorded waves more than 30 feet tall near Aberdeen and near the mouth of the Columbia River.

A coastal flood warning was in effect until Thursday night as swells of 30-35 feet and high tides caused flooding over low-lying areas. Flooding normally occurs when waves are 25 feet or higher, according to the National Weather Service.

A high surf advisory for the entire Washington coast was in effect until noon Friday.

In Ocean Shores, KING-5 reports a rogue wave knocked people off their feet. Otherwise, the storm was a tourist event, as a large number of people gathered at the North Jetty to see the storm-driven breakers crash into the rocks.

KOMO reported that swells rolled over the new sea wall at Westport, with seawater and crab pots washing into a parking lot on Cove Street. The Daily World reported that large waves crested the jetty and flooded several blocks of Westhaven Drive.

A crowd of onlookers in Westport had taken to the observation tower to watch the show, and before long the area at the base of the tower had flooded with several inches of saltwater. The water overwhelmed the drains on Westhaven Drive and flooded the street nearly to Carstenon Avenue.

Just down the beach, a crowd gathered near Westport Light State Park and watched massive waves crash into the banks, where a condo development sits precariously close to the edge, The Daily World reported.

Farther south, in North Cove, waves were close to cresting the roadway at the end of old State Route 105. This area has recently been shored up with cobble designed to absorb the impact of the waves hitting the bank. There was standing water in several places on State Route 105, quite deep in some spots, between North Cove and Grayland.

In Oregon, a man who reportedly ventured over a sea wall to get a look at the storm was swept away by a wave and presumed dead, The Oregonian reports.

More stormy weather is on the way. The National Weather Service is forecasting strong winds on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, especially in southeast-wind prone locations along the coast and from Whidbey and Camano Islands north to the Canadian border. Winds are likely to be 25 to 40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph.

Storm-force winds are possible over the Pacific waters off the Washington coast and over the east entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Rainfall totals are likely to be only a half inch in that 12-hour period. But snow in the mountains could exceed 6 inches in 12 hours on Saturday night.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Washington’s coast battered by major waves, flooding."