‘The beaches are not safe for anybody’
Officials issue warnings over dangerous high surf, rip currents
Surging, at times dangerous conditions along the Bay Area’s coastlines gave rise to churning waters, highsurf advisories and warnings of minor flooding Wednesday.
After king tides swelled across the region Tuesday, high surf conditions persisted throughout much of Wednesday and are expected to pick up again on Friday: Large breaking waves of up to 30 feet are set to strike Half Moon Bay and the Sonoma County coastline particularly hard, meteorologists said.
Those conditions will also bring heightened risks of sneaker waves and rip currents, and weather officials warned that coldwater rescues and drownings are more likely to occur in the “frigid” ocean.
“The beaches are not safe for anybody right now,” National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass said. “If anyone’s going to go out to the ocean, stay well back from it or stay in your vehicle and just look at it from the roadside.”
A coastal flood advisory is also in effect in the Bay Area. Officials said lowlying beach parking lots, coastal trails and boardwalks may experience minor flooding.
The high tides prompted weather officials to advise that people maintain a safe distance from
“Stay in your vehicle and just look at it from the roadside.”
Roger Gass, meteorologist
ocean shorelines, stay off coastal rocks and jetties, avoid steep beaches, and never turn their backs to the ocean.
In recent weeks, first responders in the Bay Area have performed several search and rescues of people who had been violently swept into the cold ocean.
A 40yearold man died earlier this month trying to save his two children who were caught in a sneaker wave in Sonoma County and are presumed dead.
A San Jose man in his 30s was rock scrambling in the Marin Headlands on Sunday when he was pulled into the ocean by a sneaker wave and remains missing.
A woman who was fishing off the rocks of San Mateo’s Pescadero State Park is still missing after she was knocked into the waters Sunday.
Despite the dangers, high surf conditions last month proved too alluring for surfers at Mavericks, off the coast of Half Moon Bay.
San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said they are seeing an uptick in coastal rescues, especially as the weather warms and as people tire of stayathome orders. The majority of their rescues are of people from the inland regions or valleys who travel to the coast to escape the heat, he said.
“We’re seeing a lot of people who just want to come and get away from their COVID safety area to go out for their essential walk or for peace of mind,” Baxter said. “They’re flocking to our beautiful parks in our coastal areas, and that’s what they’re there for, but they should be doing it with some situational awareness.”
In the North Bay, light morning showers Thursday will make way for clear skies for the rest of the week. Temperatures across the region will be several degrees higher than what is average for this time of year, with highs in the lower 70s on Wednesday and even warmer temperatures forecast for Thursday, weather officials said.
The next chance of rain in the Bay Area won’t likely arrive until late January.