![]() “Large breaking waves can cause injury, wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats near shore,” the National Weather Service warned. The spectacular waters have enthralled some surfers and onlookers, but weather officials are cautioning that the waves and strong rip tides can be perilous for those nearby. These strong wind gusts will churn up waters even further. High wind alerts are in effect for California’s central coast and the Bay Area on Friday as wind gusts of up to 50 mph are expected. One of the storms helping to drive the waves will also bring rain and wind to California through Saturday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesĬalifornia beachgoers enthralled by huge waves from storms – but they bring flooding and rip currents, too Ventura, CA - December 28: Men watch from a balcony in Faria Beach as huge waves crash on the shore Thursday, Dec. High water and dangerous rip currents will churn along some of California’s beaches through the weekend as much of the West coast – spanning from the US-Mexico border to southern Oregon – is under coastal flood and high-surf alerts, the National Weather Service said. Nearly 20 people were briefly swept away in the incident and eight people were taken to the hospital, Ventura officials said. I ran as fast as I could, mostly backwards because I was filming.” “It was terrifying and apocalyptic,” Hoag said. Seawater quickly knocked some people off their feet and pummeled cars as drivers tried to speed away. ![]() “Before I knew it, it was coming over the wall,” Hoag told CNN. The wave crashed over a barrier along the Southern California beach, tossing a wall of fast-moving water at a group of onlookers who rushed to escape the deluge, video taken by Colin Hoag shows. Several people were injured by a huge wave that slammed into Pierpont in the Ventura Beach area. The first round of dangerous waves hit alongside high tide Thursday morning. Higher sea levels are making coastal flooding events worse and will continue to do so in the future. Sea levels have risen along most of the California coastline over the past century, NOAA data shows, as global temperatures climb and melt glaciers and ice sheets. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images San Diego, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura County and San Francisco are all under high surf advisories of varying lengths.Ī Ventura County, California, fire helicopter patrols the coastline over heavy surf south of Ventura Pier on December 28. “Overall, this is expected to be an exceptional high-surf and coastal flooding event that has not occurred in many years,” the weather service in Los Angeles warned. ![]() All Ventura County beaches will be closed through New Year’s Eve because of the 15- to 20-foot waves expected along the central and Southern California coasts through Saturday evening.Ī brief dip in wave heights may occur in some locations along the California coast during the daytime Friday as one storm pushes ashore, but the danger will quickly ramp back up later Friday and Saturday as another system develops behind it. Monstrous, 20-foot-plus waves on Thursday crashed over seawalls and swept away and injured several people, forced rescues and sent a damaging surge of water through coastal California streets.ĭangerous waves continued to slam the coast on Friday, forcing beaches to close. A series of powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean are driving towering waves into the California coastline, triggering flooding and posing a significant risk to people and structures along the coast.
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