Sneaker waves -- the kind that suddenly surge along a beach, picking up giant driftwood logs or dragging beachcombers into the ocean -- will be possible on the Oregon coast throughout the weekend, the National Weather Service warns.

Sneaker waves can sweep across a beach as far as 150 feet or more, often catching beachgoers off guard, the weather service reports. As they move, the waves can pick up sand, gravel and beach debris including heavy logs, increasing the danger.

These large and fast waves will be possible anywhere on the southern Washington, north and central Oregon coasts this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Log rolls caused by the waves can be fatal to beachgoers, the service warns. It only takes a few inches of the fast-moving water to pick up a log weighing several hundred pounds. Beachgoers should avoid jetties and debris logs and always remain aware of their surroundings while near the ocean, according to the National Weather Service.

“Logs on the beach are wet and extremely heavy and can weigh hundreds of pounds. Yet, a single sneaker wave can lift and roll these logs further up the beach, as well as roll them back down the beach,” the National Weather Service wrote in a warning on its Facebook page.

There are often lapses of 10 to 20 minutes in between sneaker waves, giving beachgoers a false sense of safety when they arrive to a beach. It’s what makes these waves, rushing across beach sands and gravel without warning, just so sneaky.

The weather service also warns that when the frigid ocean water, gravel and sand fills a person’s clothes, it can render them immobile.

“This watery mixture of sand and gravel trapped in their clothes weighs them down like concrete, rendering them powerless to keep from being dragged off the beach by the receding wave,” the service wrote.

The cold temperatures of seawater can induce a cold water paralysis in people, impairing their ability to swim.

Anyone headed to an Oregon beach this weekend should keep an eye on the surf at all times -- no place on a beach is too high for a wave to reach, according to the National Weather Service.

-- Emily Goodykoontz; 503-221-6652; egoodykoontz@oregonian.com