It's going to rain today.

Then blow.

Then rain some more.

In other words, typical Oregon winter weather - but with a few extra storm punches thrown in for the rest of the week.

The National Weather Service has issued storm warnings for most of the Oregon and northern California waters but lowered the warning to just gales off the coast of Washington.

But it's all going to slam the Oregon Coast today and tomorrow, with the effects of fronts associated with low pressure systems circulating in the Gulf of Alaska and traveling down the British Columbia and Washington coasts continuing throughout the week.

It will be great for stormwatchers but bad for commercial crabbers hoping to set their gear and kick the season into full swing.

Many crabbers delivered their first catches Sunday, returning to port before swells forecast to reach 20 feet or so hit the coast and made bar crossings more treacherous than usual. Most, including some of the biggest boats in the fleet, were planning on staying in for the next couple of days.

“A very strong cold front will move across the coastal waters today, followed by another front Tuesday night,” the weather service said in a forecast early this morning. “Seas will remain around 20 feet through the end of the week.”

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography buoy off the Umpqua River and the NOAA buoy 17 miles offshore of Port Orford both reported swells greater than 21 feet early this morning.

Winds out of the south already picked up as well. Though it was calm at Cape Arago between 2 and 5 a.m., the sustained winds at Cape Blanco, near Port Orford, were higher than 50 mph, gusting to more than 70 mph, since 1 a.m.

A high wind warning - during which high winds are predicted or occurring - is in effect until 4 p.m. today, but the NWS recently added a high wind watch, in effect between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

“A strong warm front is then going to move through the region Tuesday night. South winds will increase during this time to 25 to 40 mph with possible gusts to 60 mph,” the advisory said.

Ocean swells of 20 feet or more - up to 30 feet on the North Coast by Friday - are expected this week as well. Locally, a heavy surf advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The weather service said high surf can produce rip currents and localized beach erosion and that logs and other debris can be thrown onto beaches.

“People strongly encouraged to remain out of the surf zone as these large swells will result in breaking waves in excess of 25 feet along the shoreline,” it said. “Waves of this magnitude can easily wash people and large objects such as trees off of jetties and beaches and into the cold water, especially around high tide. Š Additionally, harbor entrances such as the Coos Bay bar will experience large breaking waves, making entrance and exit treacherous.”