What is the weather like on the Oregon Coast during the holiday season? We’ll be in the Lincoln City area.

Temperatures in December and January on the Oregon Coast are typically mild, ranging from low temperatures in the high 30s to high temperatures in the low 50s. Weather can vary greatly this time of year, so be prepared for warmer or colder conditions. You should also be prepared for rain. This is typically the wettest month on the Central Coast with precipitation in double digits (averaging over 11 inches in December). Come prepared and you will enjoy a season like no other. Huge crashing waves, wildlife sightings and maybe experiencing a famous Oregon Coast storm are all possibilities.

You will be arriving during the peak of winter whale watching season and the week of December 26-through January 1, a program called Whale Watching Spoken Here is conducted at over 25 of the coast’s best whale watching sites. Trained volunteers assist visitors in spotting migrating Gray Whales. The Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay, less than a half hour south of Lincoln City, is one of the best spots for seeing whales year round. The seawall at Depoe Bay and the nearby wayside of Boiler Bay are great locations for watching crashing waves. The seawall at Depoe Bay has “spouting horns,” the coast’s answer to geysers, where when surf is up, water is forced through small channels in lava rock and shoots through small openings high into the air. A little further south is Devils Punchbowl at Otter Rock, another of the coast’s best spots for watching winter waves.

Happy exploring!