Bay Area warned about dangerous waves this weekend

Bay Area residents have been urged to steer clear of coastal beaches ahead of potential 16-feet waves that can drag them into the sea, the National Weather Service warned on Saturday.

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

“We want to reiterate how dangerous it’s going to be along our Pacific coastline this weekend,” the weather service said on social media. “Rip currents & sneaker waves will pull the most experienced and capable swimmers and surfers out to sea.”

It added: “Never turn your back on the water.”

Sneaker waves are disproportionately large, unexpected waves that surge suddenly and far up a coastline without warning. They can often overtake people on dry sand.

Rip currents are strong, narrow, localized currents of water that moves directly away from the shore, cutting through breaking waves. If caught in one, a person may have a hard time getting back to shore.

According to a map, the beaches at risk stretch from near Cloverdale all the way down to Big Sur.

The Weather Service said people should stay away from piers, jetties, rocks and waterside infrastructure. It also asked people to remain out of the water.

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

The elevated water levels stem from the unusually strong El Niño developing along the West Coast.

California could soon see its highest sea levels ever recorded, 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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