Winds and rain continued to batter the North Coast today as a warning was issued to residents to expect wind gusts of up to 70 mph on beaches and exposed headlands.

The National Weather Service warned of continued stormy weather all day from Raymond, Wash., south to Pacific City.

The only ones enjoying the last three days’ conditions were surfers who packed The Cove in Seaside to catch some spectacular waves. Friday was an especially good day and at one point there were more than three dozen hardy souls in the surf.

Elsewhere, the near-constant winds toppled road signs at a construction site in Chinook, Wash., Saturday.

In Warrenton, a corrugated steel cofferdam was rolled by the wind across Southeast Ensign Lane in Warrenton and into the Costco parking lot where it struck at least four vehicles Saturday afternoon.

Warrenton police were on hand to help Jeff Hazen, assistant manager of Costco, with a solution.

The cofferdam, which belongs to the construction company doing work across from Costco, was about 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide. Hazen estimated that it weighs close to 4,000 pounds.

“We were very, very fortunate that nobody was outside in that area,” he said. “Someone could have been seriously injured or even killed.”

Dave Pedegana, who watched it from the Costco gas station, said it was rolling like a big steam roller.

“It glanced off of the first vehicle it hit, a van, went on to the next row of cars on an angle, hit the three cars in that row and spun to the flat side like a top,” he said, adding that it was “very weird to watch.

“It happened very fast … that thing was really rolling. So fortunate there were no pedestrians in its path. Hard to believe how far it travelled.”

Hazen arranged for a dump truck to come up from Hammond. They chained the cofferdam to the back of the dump truck so it wouldn’t roll anywhere else. The construction company was able to come by later with heavy equipment. They moved the cofferdam back across the street and chained it down.

In Knappa, roughly 760 Pacific Power customers lost power around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt. The company was able to restore power in the area a few minutes after midnight, Gauntt said.

An estimated 270 people also lost power in the Warrenton area from 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday, Gauntt said.

The Weather Service said rain will likely continue through today and Tuesday, possibly easing off Wednesday.

Tonight the temperature is expected to drop to about 40 with continued south to southwest winds of up to 45 mph plus higher gusts.

The same conditions will continue Tuesday, although the winds may lessen, and Wednesday will see showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Showers are expected through the following weekend. The Nehalem River valley may be sheltered enough to avoid the worst of the wind but the Coast Range and Willapa Hills will bear the brunt of the storm.

A Weather Service spokesman in Portland said the high winds could case damage to signs, tree limbs and power lines and drivers are advised to travel with extreme caution and be prepared for flying debris.

The Daily Astorian reporter Katie Wilson and freelance writer Hugh McKenna contributed to this story