As rain swept throughout Southern California early Saturday, heavy surf and excessive tides continued to pound the coast and prompted warnings for individuals to keep away from the water as harmful situations persist.
Waves as excessive as 20 ft have been forecast in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, whereas even bigger swells have been anticipated to roll in on the Central Coast and Northern California. Officers warned that the highly effective waves and powerful currents might sweep individuals into rocks, jetties and into the ocean.
“It’s producing extraordinarily harmful situations at seashores,” mentioned Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service in Oxnard. “That is the very best surf we’ve had within the final 12 months. It’s positively extra like as soon as each few years.”
A sequence of sturdy waves pummeled the Ventura coast on Thursday, sending onlookers scrambling because the waves swept previous seaside obstacles and barreled down metropolis streets. At the very least eight individuals have been injured and several other companies have been broken because the waves broke home windows and flooded buildings.
All seashores and coastal parks in Ventura County have been closed Friday and can stay closed over the New 12 months’s weekend, together with the Ventura Pier, seaside campgrounds and harbor entries, officers mentioned.
Officers additionally warned individuals to be cautious of “sneaker waves,” very like the one which caught Ventura beachgoers unexpectedly this week. The highly effective waves are created by larger-than-average swells that may out of the blue and with out warning surge a lot farther inland than anticipated, breaking over rocks and lifting logs or driftwood onto the seashore with lethal pressure.
In the meantime, Saturday’s storm introduced as much as three-fourths inches of rain to Los Angeles and Ventura counties, whereas practically 2 inches fell in Santa Barbara County, based on the climate service. Patchy showers have been fading, whereas forecasters mentioned extra gentle rain is predicted Sunday night time into Monday.
Along with the heavy surf, the rain additionally introduced different potential hazards at seashores. L.A. County’s Division of Public Well being suggested individuals to keep away from contact with water via Tuesday as a result of flowing storm drains and creeks can result in increased ranges of micro organism and chemical compounds.