Large waves crested the jetty at Westport on Thursday and again Friday, flooding several blocks of Westhaven Drive.
And in Ocean Shores, a large number of people came out to the North Jetty to see the storm-driven breakers crash into the rocks.
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.
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.
The Grays Harbor bar was closed to all recreational marine traffic with reports of 26-28-foot swells and winds of up to 30 knots.
“Please be careful and stay away from the coast and the shorelines,” the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest detachment warned on its Facebook page.
The Ocean Shores City Council on Jan. 8 extended a six-month moratorium on new development in the area around the jetty because of continued problems with shoreline erosion caused by past storms.
On Friday, the National Weather Service issued a high wind watch for the coast in effect from this evening through Sunday morning.
Winds will be from 20-40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph, and affected locations include Ocean Shores, Hoquiam, Taholah, Pacific Beach, Aberdeen and Westport.
Winds will increase on Saturday evening and then peak early Sunday morning. Winds will start to ease after sunrise on Sunday, the Weather Service forecast.
“Tree damage and some power outages are possible. Be careful for the hazard of falling trees, especially if driving during nighttime hours on Saturday night and early Sunday morning,” warned Grays Harbor County Emergency Management.
PATRICIA JOLLIMORE | FOR THE DAILY WORLD A massive wave looms over Ocean Shores’ North Jetty.
PATRICIA JOLLIMORE | FOR THE DAILY WORLD Waves tower over vehicles parked at Ocean Shores North Jetty.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Waves tumble over the top of the Westport jetty, just west of the observation tower.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Waves crash over the jetty in Westport Thursday. This is the area just to the south of the observation tower.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Large waves battered the jetty in Westport Thursday.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Large waves battered the jetty in Westport Thursday.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Waves tumble over the top of the Westport jetty, just west of the observation tower.
DAN HAMMOCK | THE DAILY WORLD Waves tumble over the top of the Westport jetty, just west of the observation tower.
