City of North Bend - Oregon

09/01/2026

🌧️ WET, UNSEASONABLY COOL WEATHER HEADED TO NORTH BEND

The National Weather Service in Medford is advising that a frontal system will move into Southern Oregon beginning Wednesday, Sept. 2, bringing widespread rain, cooler temperatures and unusually wet conditions for early September.

For North Bend and the Coos County coast, the primary concern will be wetting rainfall Wednesday into Thursday, with additional showers possible through the remainder of the week and into the Labor Day weekend.

📍 What North Bend can expect:

• Rain chances increase significantly Wednesday afternoon and evening, with the National Weather Service currently showing a 100% chance of measurable precipitation Wednesday evening.

• Rain is expected to continue Thursday, with additional showers possible Friday.

• Current forecasts indicate around 1 inch of rain could fall in the Coos Bay/North Bend area during the 24-hour period ending around 5 a.m. Thursday.

• The probability of receiving 1 inch or more during that period is currently estimated at about 48% for the Coos Bay area.

• Temperatures will be well below normal for early September, accompanied by higher humidity.

• Shower chances may continue into the Labor Day weekend, although rainfall should become more scattered.

⛈️ The National Weather Service is also monitoring thunderstorm activity ahead of the front Tuesday afternoon and evening. The greatest lightning risk is expected well inland and over higher terrain, rather than along the immediate Coos County coast.

This is an unusually wet weather system for the beginning of September. Residents should be prepared for wet roads, reduced visibility during heavier showers and changing conditions throughout the week.

The City will continue to monitor information from the National Weather Service Medford Forecast Office and share additional information if conditions warrant.

📸 The accompanying graphics are courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Stay weather aware, North Bend.

09/01/2026

🎒🚸 BACK TO SCHOOL SAFETY REMINDER

A new school year is about to begin, and that means more children, school buses, bicycles and vehicles will soon be traveling through our neighborhoods and school zones throughout North Bend, Coos Bay and communities across the South Coast.

As students head back to class next week, we’re asking everyone to take a little extra time, slow down and help make sure our kids get to and from school safely.

🚗 DRIVERS: SLOW DOWN & STAY ALERT

• Watch your speed in school zones and neighborhoods. Children may be walking, biking or crossing streets before, during and after school hours.

• Obey posted school-zone speed limits. School zones are generally 20 mph or lower, depending on the location and posted signs. Watch carefully for signs indicating “When Flashing,” “School Days 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.” or “When Children Are Present.”

• Stop for school buses. When a school bus is slowing or stopping, pay attention not only to the bus but also to children who may be approaching or leaving it. It is illegal to pass a school bus when its red lights are flashing.

• Put the phone away. A few seconds of distraction can have serious consequences. Keep your attention on the road.

• Look before proceeding through intersections and crossings. Come to a complete stop at stop signs and watch carefully for people walking, biking, scooting or using mobility devices.

🚶 PARENTS & CAREGIVERS: REVIEW SAFE WALKING HABITS

Talk with children about being visible and predictable:

• Cross at corners or marked crosswalks whenever possible.

• Look left, right and left again before entering the street.

• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Never assume a driver sees you.

• Use sidewalks when available. Where there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and remain as far from moving vehicles as safely possible.

• Wear or carry something bright or reflective, especially during early-morning hours, rainy weather or other low-visibility conditions.

🚲 BIKES, SCOOTERS & SKATEBOARDS

Remind young riders to:

• Wear a properly fitted helmet.

• Travel in the direction of traffic.

• Obey stop signs and traffic signals.

• Use hand signals so drivers know what they intend to do.

• Use appropriate lights and reflectors during darkness or low-light conditions.

🌧️ And remember — this is the Oregon Coast. Rain, fog, darker mornings and wet roadways can reduce visibility and increase stopping distances. Drivers should give themselves extra time and expect children to be present near schools, bus stops and neighborhood crossings.

A few extra seconds of patience can make all the difference.

Whether you’re driving to work, taking children to school, walking through the neighborhood or heading to a bus stop, please help us start the school year safely.

✅ Slow down.
✅ Stay alert.
✅ Put the phone away.
✅ Watch for kids.
✅ Share the road.

Please share this reminder with your friends, family and neighbors as students throughout our community head back to school.

🔗 Oregon transportation safety information:
https://tinyurl.com/ms2uwn3s

🔗 Oregon Safe Routes to School resources:
https://oregonsaferoutes.org/resources/

09/01/2026

⚠️ TRAFFIC / SAFETY ALERT — AVOID NEWMARK & SHERMAN

Emergency personnel are currently on scene at Newmark Street and Sherman Avenue following a vehicle collision involving a power pole.

A white SUV struck the pole, and live electrical wires are down on the vehicle and on the ground. The area has been secured by emergency personnel; however, this remains a serious electrical hazard.

🚫 Please completely avoid the Newmark and Sherman area until further notice. Do not attempt to drive or walk through the scene, and stay well away from any downed power lines.

Please use an alternate route and allow emergency crews and utility personnel room to work safely.

We will provide an update when the area is safe to reopen.

Please share this information with others who may be traveling through the area.

7:31 am: Report of SUV versus power pole; power pole snapped
7:33 am: Emergency personnel on scene; electrical wires atop vehicle
7:42 am: Pacific Power arrived on scene
8:46 am: Coos Bay - North Bend Water Board response requested for a cracked water meter
8:55 am: All units cleared from scene

09/01/2026

🚧 KEEPING NORTH BEND SAFE, ONE STRIPE AT A TIME

If you’ve traveled along Sherman Avenue this week, you may have noticed our North Bend Street Maintenance team out early restriping intersections.

It may look like a routine maintenance job, but those pavement markings play an important role in public safety.

Street striping is designed to remain visible during the day and to reflect vehicle headlights at night, helping drivers better see lanes, crosswalks, stop lines and other roadway markings when visibility is reduced.

That means keeping those markings fresh, visible and properly maintained is more than a cosmetic improvement — it is part of keeping North Bend’s streets safe and functional.

Our Street Maintenance team handles a wide range of work that residents depend on every day, often without giving it a second thought: street repairs, signs, drainage, vegetation control, pavement markings and many other tasks that help keep traffic moving and protect the public.

Whenever possible, the crew gets out early in the morning to complete striping work before traffic gets heavy. Even then, they are often working only a few feet away from moving vehicles.

So when you see cones, equipment or workers in the roadway, please slow down, stay alert and give them plenty of room.

These are not just City employees. They are members of our community, and our goal is simple: every employee who comes to work in the morning should go home safely to their family at the end of the day.

We appreciate the work our Street Maintenance team does behind the scenes to protect the public, maintain our infrastructure and take care of the streets North Bend taxpayers rely on every day.

👏 Thank you to our crew for a job well done — and thank you to our community for helping keep them safe.

Slow down. Give them room. Help them get home safely.

08/30/2026

🚧 HEADS UP, OREGON TRAVELERS: MAJOR I-5 CLOSURE COMING TO PORTLAND 🚧

If you have plans to drive through Portland this fall — especially if you’re headed to Portland International Airport, Washington, or anywhere north of the city — this is one to put on your radar now.

Beginning September 11, 2026, all southbound lanes of I-5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter will close around the clock for up to five weeks while major repairs are completed.

Yes — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The closure will affect southbound I-5 between I-405 and I-84, and the impacts are expected to extend well beyond the immediate construction zone as traffic shifts onto alternate routes and local streets.

⚠️ What this could mean for travelers:
• Significant congestion and longer drive times through the Portland area
• Extra traffic on I-405 and other alternate routes
• Delays getting to and from PDX
• Additional travel time for anyone driving south from Washington
• Heavier traffic on Portland-area surface streets

✈️ If you have a flight out of PDX during this period, give yourself considerably more time than you normally would. Missing a flight because of highway congestion is not the way anyone wants to start a vacation.

For those of us on the Oregon Coast, Portland already requires some advance planning. For several weeks this fall, it will require a little more.

📌 September 11 through potentially mid-October
📌 I-5 SOUTHBOUND — Rose Quarter, Portland
📌 24/7 closure for up to five weeks

Please share this with friends, family, college students and anyone you know who will be traveling through Portland this fall. A little advance notice could save someone a lot of frustration.

Safe travels!

08/28/2026

🌕 A Special Sight Over the South Coast Tonight

If you happened to look toward the eastern sky this evening, you may have noticed that the Moon looked a little different.

Tonight, Oregon is getting a great view of an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth’s shadow across the lunar surface. At tonight’s maximum, roughly 94% of the Moon is covered by Earth’s darkest shadow, leaving only a thin, brightly illuminated portion visible.

Here on the West Coast, the Moon rose with the eclipse already underway, making for a particularly dramatic sight low over the horizon. The eclipse reaches its maximum at about 9:12 p.m. Pacific time, with the partial phase continuing until approximately 10:13 p.m.

One of the wonderful things about a lunar eclipse is that no special glasses or equipment are needed—you can simply look up and enjoy it.

I hope folks around North Bend and the South Oregon Coast had a chance to step outside tonight and catch a glimpse. Sometimes Mother Nature puts on the best show of all.

📷 Tonight’s partial lunar eclipse over North Bend.

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

🐾 CO****LE FOR A CAUSE + K9 ATHENA SUPPORT GEAR — THIS SATURDAY! 🐾

Come join us Saturday, August 29, at Back Alley Pub & Grill and North Bend Lanes as we raise money for the North Bend Police Department K-9 Program and K9 Athena! 🐕‍🦺💙

The Coquille Community Co****le League is helping us put on another great Co****le for a Cause event — and whether you want to compete, cheer on the teams, grab some food, or simply stop by and support Athena, we would love to see you.

🎯 CO****LE TOURNAMENT
📅 Saturday, August 29
🚪 Doors open: 8:00 a.m.
🎯 Play begins: 9:00 a.m.
👥 Bring your own partner
💵 $50 per team / $25 per player
🏆 $1,000 guaranteed prize pool
🥇 1st — $500
🥈 2nd — $350
🥉 3rd — $150

Teams will play four round-robin games followed by a double-elimination bracket, with every team guaranteed at least six games. Space is limited to 24 teams, so register early!

🐾 K9 ATHENA SUPPORT GEAR WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE!

👕 K9 Athena T-shirts — $20 each
🐾 K9 Athena stickers — available with any donation

Grab a sticker and donate whatever you feel it is worth — or whatever you would simply like to contribute to the K-9 Program. Every donation helps support K9 Athena.

Cash and checks will be accepted, although checks are preferred. Please make checks payable to the City of North Bend and write “K9 Fund” in the memo line.

And you absolutely do not have to play co****le to participate. Stop by, grab some K9 Athena gear, enjoy some great food, b**r or cocktails, cheer on the teams and spend some time with us while supporting a great local cause.

📍 Back Alley Pub & Grill / North Bend Lanes
1225 Virginia Avenue
North Bend, OR 97459

📞 Tournament questions or registration:
Officer Martin — 541-756-3161

💙 100% of the tournament proceeds benefit the North Bend Police Department K-9 Program.

Come have some fun, support K9 Athena, and help us make Saturday a great day for our community!

🐾 Please share and help us spread the word!

08/27/2026

🌊 North Bend Is Ahead of the Curve on Tsunami Preparedness

The State of Oregon has just released new guidance to help coastal communities determine whether tsunami vertical evacuation structures—such as towers, elevated buildings or engineered berms—could save lives during a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami. A copy of the report is available on the city website and oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/pages/tsunami.aspx

For North Bend, there is an important part of this story that deserves to be highlighted:

We are not starting from scratch.

North Bend is already ahead of many Oregon coastal communities when it comes to the planning work the State is now recommending.

Several years ago, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) completed detailed “Beat the Wave” pedestrian evacuation modeling for North Bend and communities surrounding the Coos Bay estuary. That work examined how quickly people could reach natural high ground following a major Cascadia earthquake.

North Bend also developed a Tsunami Evacuation Facilities Improvement Plan, identifying evacuation routes, signage, assembly areas, infrastructure vulnerabilities and other improvements that can help people get to safety.

That is significant because the State's new 2026 guidance recommends essentially the same process:

• Understand the local tsunami hazard.
• Model how long people have to evacuate.
• Determine whether people can reach natural high ground in time.
• Identify barriers such as damaged bridges, liquefaction or difficult evacuation routes.
• Improve routes, signage, education and preparedness where possible.
• Consider vertical evacuation structures where natural high ground cannot reasonably be reached.

The existing DOGAMI analysis found that North Bend benefits considerably from having natural high ground relatively close to much of the community. Under the modeling, most areas of North Bend could reach safety at relatively modest walking speeds.

That does not mean our work is finished.

A major Cascadia earthquake could severely damage roads, bridges and other infrastructure before the tsunami arrives. Liquefaction is also a significant concern around portions of the Coos Bay estuary. The new State guidance gives us an opportunity to take another look at our existing analysis using the latest science and determine whether any evacuation gaps remain.

Our next question should therefore not simply be:

“Where should North Bend build a tsunami tower?”

It should be:

“Does the latest science change what we already know about North Bend, and are there any locations where people still cannot reach safety in time?”

There is a lot more work to do, but North Bend should take some confidence from this new State report.

Many of the steps Oregon is now encouraging coastal communities to undertake are steps North Bend has already taken.

Our job now is to build on that work, update it with the latest science, and continue making our community as prepared and resilient as possible.


North Bend Fire Department - Oregon
North Bend Police Department - Oregon