California Beaches Close as 35-Foot Waves Hit Amid Powerful El Niño

详细摘要

City of Santa Cruz beaches remain closed on Saturday with the National Weather Service warning of a “very high” risk of drowning.

The City of Santa Cruz closed the city’s beaches and the Santa Cruz Wharf until 5 a.m. PST on Sunday after the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a High Surf Warning with large breaking waves reaching 25 to 35 feet forecast for the coast.

The closure was announced on Friday and came into effect at 10 p.m. PST that evening.

City authorities warned of “significant risks to public safety” including “powerful waves, coastal flooding, and potential impacts to coastal infrastructure.” According to the federal NWS there is a “very high” risk of people drowning over the weekend.

It comes against the backdrop of a strengthening El Niño, a naturally recurring climate pattern, sparking fears of more extreme weather.

In its warning on Friday the City of Santa Cruz urged both residents and visitors to stay clear of “beaches, coastal access points, rocks, and other areas exposed to high surf” until 5 a.m. PST on Sunday in response to “dangerous high surf and hazardous coastal conditions forecast for the weekend.”

In its most recent update published shortly after midnight on Saturday the NWS’s San Francisco Bay Area office forecast “very hazardous conditions along the Pacific coast today” including “breaking waves” of 25 to 35 feet and urged people to “stay away from the beach!”

The forecast said: “Very hazardous conditions are developing along the Pacific coast with High Surf Warnings in effect through early Sunday morning due to surf heights of 25 to 35 feet accompanied by a high risk of sneaker waves and rip currents. Locally higher waves of 40 to 50 feet are possible at favored locations including Mavericks Beach.”

A NWS San Francisco Bay Area spokesperson said: “These waves bring tremendous power that will overpower anyone in the water and cause coastal erosion. The risk of drowning is very high this weekend.

“Do not go in the water, avoid climbing on the rocks or leaning over seawalls, and never turn your back on the ocean.”

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