Dangerously high waves headed to California and Oregon beaches, forecasters warn
Beach lovers, beware: Large and possibly dangerous Pacific Ocean waves are headed for stretches of the California and Oregon coastline starting Thursday, forecasters predict.
From Big Sur on California’s Central Coast all the way up to Southern Oregon, the National Weather Service is warning of waves as high as 20 or 25 feet.
That includes a high surf advisory for the coastal San Francisco Bay Area, from the Point Reyes National Seashore down through San Francisco, north Monterey Bay and Big Sur, the NWS office in San Francisco said Wednesday afternoon. The advisory in that region begins Thursday at 3 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m. on Saturday, with forecasters warning of breakers up to 22 feet.
“Use extra caution near the surf zone as these large waves will be capable of sweeping people into the frigid and turbulent ocean water,” forecasters said. “Cold water shock may cause cardiac arrest, and it also can cause an involuntary gasp reflex causing drowning, even for a good swimmer.”
There’s also a heightened risk of sneaker waves, rip currents and beach erosion in the area.
The large Northern California waves are expected as a result of a storm in the Gulf of Alaska, SFGate reports.
“The high winds associated with that storm are generating the swell that should get there by Thursday,” said Spencer Tangen, a forecaster at Monterey’s NWS office, according to SFGate.
Further north in California, the NWS office in Eureka warns that “a significant swell will bring large surf to the northwest California coast” on Thursday and Friday, resulting in high surf advisories there as well.
“Large breaking waves will wash farther up beaches, over rocks and jetties, and will generate hazardous conditions around and within the Humboldt Bay Harbor entrance channel,” Eureka forecasters said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “Beachgoers should use extra caution when venturing closer to the surf zone.”
Along the Southern Oregon coast, high surf is expected to roll in Thursday morning to Friday afternoon, the NWS office in Medford, Oregon, said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Breaking waves could reach 20 to 25 feet, forecasters said.
“Although the power of these large waves can be awe-inspiring, it can be deadly too,” forecasters in Oregon said, urging caution on beaches. “Keep a safe distance from the ocean. Jetties, rocks, and logs are NOT safe places to be.”
The NWS office in Los Angeles also issued a high surf advisory from Thursday at 6 a.m. to noon on Monday for the Central California coast from San Luis Obispo County to Santa Barbara County, anticipating “large breaking waves of 10 to 16 feet with dangerous rip currents.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 5:51 PM.
