Mile 289 - Kincheloe Point, South Jetty Tillamook River - December 10, 2015

Report Details

This was a survey to document extreme conditions on Mile 289. 40 foot breaking waves pounded the beach. The morning high tide of 8.2 feet was bolstered by a storm surge caused by a major low. The late afternoon low was to be -0.06. The tide should have been low, but intermittent wave surges pushed the surf fairly close to the fore dune. Needless to say, I watched the surf very closely and had an escape route. Even in these conditions, the dune erosion was minor.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Strong. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 2.0 feet.

Human Activities

Tillamook and specifically Bayocean Spit have been hard hit by this week's storms. Flooding, landslides, sinkholes were common events. The only available road from Tillamook to the spit is closed due to a culvert/ sinkhole issue. The emergency access to through a difficult forest road from the Netarts Highway. There weren't many humans on the entire spit, and those few are the residents of Cape Meares.

Concerns

Apparent violations: none.

Notable Wildlife

gulls, seaducks in the bay, grebes also in the bay.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. immature gull. The weather was fairly extreme. It was a quick trip through the mile so it was not a thorough search for dead birds.

Driftline Content

Wood pieces. Wood from flooding dominated the beach. There certainly were many of the above also

New Development

none

Natural Changes

Erosion of vegetated foredune, Evidence of wave overtopping.

Actions & Comments

I can't recall the last time I noted dune erosion on Mile 289. But today was an exceptional day. The swells measured by the off shore buoys were in the 30 foot plus range. The Weather Service had issued a high surf warning with the phrase, "will result in average breaking wave heights around 40 feet." Even in these conditions, the dune erosion was minor and limited to the northern end of the mile.