If you’ve ever been on an Oregon or Washington coast beach during a storm, then you know how majestic and magical it can be, and it's even more magical when you're watching from a cozy beach cabin. If you’re an adventurous person, you can go onto the beach and feel nature’s fury.

I’ve been present for many storms on the coast, mostly by accident, and have experienced winds as high as 85 mph in Cannon Beach, Oregon. There's nothing like hearing the wind howl, watching the waves crash, the seagulls glide, the rain pouring in sheets, and the sand dancing down the beach.

The storm season runs from November through March but peak storm activity happens from late November to late December. If you happen to catch a storm during a king tide, it's even better. King tides are expected November 15-19, 2024, December 13-15, 2024, and January 11-13, 20205. Scroll down and check out my favorite beaches for storm-watching and watch this short video of a mild storm at Cannon Beach.

6 Best Beaches in Washington and Oregon to Watch a Winter Storm

These are my favorite beaches for storm watching. November through March is storm season on the coast. Watch the extended forecast for the coastline and get ready to book your room and take a drive to experience nature's wrath on the coast - you'll love it.

Gallery Credit: Paul Drake

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton

 

 

 

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