Bay Area warned of dangerous waves this weekend

Bay Area residents were urged to avoid coastal beaches ahead of potential 16-foot waves that could wash them into the sea, the National Weather Service warned Saturday.

Pacific Coast beaches are at increased risk of rip currents and sneaker waves from 7 a.m. Saturday to 10 p.m. Monday, the Bay Area branch of the weather service said.

“We want to reiterate how dangerous the situation will be along our Pacific coast this weekend,” the weather service said on social media. “Rip currents and sneaker waves will draw the most experienced and skilled swimmers and surfers out to sea.”

He added: “Never turn your back on the water. »

Sneaker waves are unexpected and disproportionately large waves that break suddenly and far across the coastline without warning. They can often overtake people on dry sand.

Rip currents are strong, narrow, localized currents of water that flow directly away from shore and through breaking waves. If caught in one of these, a person may have difficulty getting back to shore.

According to a map, at-risk beaches stretch from near Cloverdale to Big Sur.

The weather service said people should stay away from piers, rocks and waterfront infrastructure. He also asked people to stay out of the water.

At the same time, a coastal flood warning is also issued from Friday to Tuesday at 3 p.m. There may be up to 1.4 feet of flooding in low-lying bayside areas along San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Monterey Bay.

The high water levels are a result of the unusually strong El Niño developing along the west coast.

California could soon experience its highest sea levels on record, Mark Merrifield, director of the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, told the New York Times.

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