The U.S. Coast Guard, responding to recent and anticipated storms, has closed the Columbia River bar and other coastal coastal ports from Brookings, Oregon to Westport and LaPush in Washington. The closure has been occasioned by severe sea conditions — winds Saturday are expected to be in the 50-60 miles per hour range — as well as debris in the water from past storms. The closure was first reported at midday Friday by the Chinook Observer.