“One helluva wave….” hits the north-central coast over the weekend
A very large wave crashed and rushed ashore in Lincoln City and points north over the weekend, injuring one woman standing on a balcony and roughing up others on the beach.
Several buildings built low to the beach were smacked hard by the monster wave that crashed ashore early Saturday morning. A couple and their dog were left stranded on some rocks for a time off NW 18th. But they waited for the water to subside and then scurried up the beach to safety.
Typically, such waves are called “sneaker waves,” but from statements from those who saw the wave, it appeared to be much more than your average oversized sneaker variety. Waves at sea, generated by different storms at about the same time, are capable of pushing their waves toward the coast. And in so doing, they can overrun each other and combine together to create a super wave when it finally makes landfall. Unfortunately there is no way to forecast such surges. Our only defense while surfing or beachcombing is to never turn our backs on the ocean. So if you see the water looking over-sized, start running for higher ground.