Be careful out there
With crowds expected to jam beaches and roads for the long weekend, officials warn about rip currents and preparing for travel delays
The long Labor Day weekend is expected to bring a crush of traffic to Southern California freeways and throngs of people to beaches, where officials are warning of powerful rip currents.
In a preview of the dangerous water conditions, a swimmer died after getting caught in a rip current at Venice Beach on Thursday night.
The man and two other people were swimming about 200 yards from shore near 19th Avenue in Venice at about 6: 15 p. m. Thursday when they began struggling in the current, said Lidia Barillas, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division.
The man disappeared under the waves as lifeguards swam out to help, Barillas said. The two other swimmers were brought safely to shore.
A rescue diver pulled the man from the water, and he was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s department.
Swells from winter storms in the Southern Hemisphere will cause elevated surf, rip currents and sneaker waves— large, fastmoving rogue waves that appear near the shore — at Southern California beaches throughout the weekend, said Robbie Munroe, ameteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The highest surf is expected on south- and southwest-facing beaches, with waves of 3 to 5 feet through Tuesday with local sets of 6 feet or higher, Munroe said. Swimmers should avoid climbing on jetties or rocks near the water’s edge because of the risk of sneaker waves and should swim parallel to the beach if they get caught in a rip current, according to the weather service.
Lingering morning clouds brought by a strong onshore flow will help keep temperatures down this weekend, Munroe said.
On Saturday, temperatures are expected to peak in the mid- 70s at the beaches and lower 80s in downtown Los Angeles, Munroe said. The San Fernando and Antelope valleys should see highs in the mid- 80s.
For holiday travelers, the forecast is less than surprising: Traffic will be bad.
On Labor Day afternoon, rush- hour delays in the Los Angeles area could be 52.1% longer than usual, with an earlier peak time than normal, between 4 and 5 p. m., according to the data company Inrix.
That means a typical one- hour journey could take an hour and 40 minutes on Labor Day.
Motorists traveling through the Inland Empire should expect slow going on Interstates10, 40 and15— all of which have reduced lanes and construction work, the California Department of Transportation warned.
Delays of up to four hours will be possible on Monday between 1p. m. and midnight for westbound traffic on interstates10 and 40 in areas with reduced lanes, according to Caltrans.
Interstate 10 is down to one lane in each direction near Desert Center, where heavy rainfall in July caused a bridge to collapse. East bound traffic is shifted to the westbound roadbed, according to Caltrans.
Travelers to and from Las Vegas should plan for slowdowns in the Cajon Pass, where construction is underway near Devore for paving and interchange improvements. A project to rebuild three bridges near Essex could bring delays on Interstate 40, with reduced lanes in multiple locations.
Caltrans recommends that holiday travelers bring water, snacks and medications and have a full tank of gas and a cellphone charger.