Waves up to 30 feet forecast to rock California coast, days after deadly

The National Weather Service issued high surf advisories for large portions Northern California Thursday morning, with waves up to 30 feet high expected to hit portions of the coast until Sunday.

In San Francisco, the NWS issued a high surf advisory for the Bay Area, expected to last from 10 a.m. local time Thursday until Sunday afternoon. Forecasters predicted 20 to 30-foot waves and cautioned swimmers and boaters to stay out of the water and avoid potentially dangerous conditions.

Further north, the NWS office in Eureka, California issued a high surf advisory that was expected to last until 11 p.m. on Thursday in coastal Del Norte, Northern Humboldt Coast, Southwestern Humboldt and Mendocino Coast counties.

“Large breaking waves along the coast will lead to increased wave run-up on beaches with waves topping and washing over large rocks and jetties,” the NWS said. “These large waves can be erratic and unpredictable. Use extra caution near the surf zone as these large waves will be capable of sweeping people into the frigid and turbulent ocean water.”

The weather service also cautioned residents to keep off of jetties, piers and other structures on the water.

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A week of deadly weather

While Christmas offered a brief reprieve, stormy seas have rocked many parts of the state in the past week.

On Monday, a portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf, located about 70 miles south of San Francisco, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, sending three city workers into the sea after high surf slammed the coast.

Two city workers were rescued by lifeguards and the third rescued themself after a 150-foot long section of the pier that was undergoing renovations collapsed as, “the result of very strong waves crashing into it,” according to Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley.

More: Watch as heavy surf causes Santa Cruz pier to partially collapse, sending 3 into water

Elsewhere on Monday, large waves left one person dead, and two others were reported missing.

First responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park in Watsonville, around 11:30 a.m. Monday for a man trapped under debris washed up from a large wave, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office told USA TODAY. The man was transported to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

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About 30 minutes south, at Marina State Beach, Marina police and fire personnel responded to a water rescue incident around noon Monday, according to a news release from the Marina Police Department.

Initial reports indicated that an adult male had been “overcome by high surf and pulled into the water,” according to police. Bystanders attempted to help the individual, but they could not rescue them due to large waves and strong currents, police said.

Additionally, an adult male went missing in Pebble Beach Monday. Emergency responders were dispatched to Ocean Road following reports of a victim being washed off the rocks into the ocean, Cal Fire said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY Tuesday.

“Despite an extensive search effort, challenging ocean conditions forced rescuers to terminate their search,” Cal Fire said in the statement.

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Huge waves, high surf advisories forecast for Northern California

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