Northern California to Get Waves as High as 30 Feet

Roiling storm waves pound the rock ledge of Santa Maria Cliffs a few hours before high tide on Jan. 8, 2017. Dan Coyro/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) have issued a high surf advisory through Sunday in Northern California. The waves, however, will not be as big as those that tore through the region on Monday, resulting in the collapse of part of the Santa Cruz Wharf, and multiple people falling into the water.

The High Surf Advisory, which remains in effect until 4 p.m. Sunday, will see waves reach as high as 20 to 30 feet. The NWS is urging inexperienced swimmers to stay out of the water due to the dangerous surf conditions. They also advise that people along the coasts stay off piers, jetties, wharves, and other infrastructure near the water, and advise not turning their back on the ocean.

“We’re looking at long period swells coming into the coast, and they'll be building through the rest of tonight and into early tomorrow and then slowly begin to subside,” Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the NWS, told The Epoch Times.

The waves won’t be as large as on Monday, when high surf reached as high as 60 feet, causing damage to the Santa Cruz Wharf. Three people fell into the ocean Monday when 150 feet of the end of the wharf collapsed on Monday. Two of them were rescued and one swam to safety, according to Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante. The part of the wharf that collapsed was already closed off for construction after having been damaged by storms years prior. The three people who fell in the water were two engineers and a project manager, Escalante said.

The waves coming today through this weekend have a northwesterly component, whereas the ones that caused damage at the Santa Cruz Wharf came more directly from the west, which caused a more direct hit.

Rain is also expected to move through the region Thursday night, with the largest amount dropping in the North Bay, including 2–2.5 inches across higher elevations in the area, and 1–1.25 inches in North Bay valleys. The City of San Francisco could see anywhere from half an inch to 1 inch of rain. The Santa Cruz Mountains could receive up to 2 inches of rain, especially at higher elevations.

Gass says dry conditions should return starting Monday and continue into early January.

The far eastern reaches of Northern California are also expected to get between half an inch and 1 inch of snow. NWS Sacramento expects moderate snow to the east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and south of Reno through 12 p.m. Friday, with 4–12 inches forecast for above 6,000 feet, as well as wind gusts up to 55 mph. Snow could fall as low as 5,500 feet. Roads will be covered in snow with reduced visibility.