California Residents Told to Not Go Into Ocean

Large waves near San Francisco have prompted warnings for Californians to remain out of the water.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in San Francisco issued a beach hazards statement early Tuesday morning. The alert is expected to remain in place through Wednesday evening.
“A moderate period northwest swell will result in a more energetic surf zone. Breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet are expected,” the statement said. “Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches.”
The statement added: “Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.”
The beach hazards statement is in place for San Francisco; Coastal North Bay, including Point Reyes National Seashore; San Francisco Peninsula Coast; Northern Monterey Bay and Southern Monterey Bay; and Big Sur Coast counties.
NWS meteorologist Alexis Clouser told Newsweek that the swell is generated farther out in the Pacific and causes dangerous waves closer to shore.
“As that comes closer to shore and it breaks at the shoreline, you get larger breaking waves when you have a larger swell,” she said.
On Monday, the NWS office posted about its concerns on X (formerly Twitter).
“There is a moderate risk for sneaker waves and rip currents from now until Wednesday evening along the coast,” the office said. “Beware of the potential for sneaker waves, stay off of jetties, keep your eyes on kids and pets, and never turn your back on the ocean.”
The post warned that plunging waves can slam beachgoers into the ocean floor and that waves can easily knock a person off their feet.
A separate system will bring elevated winds to the region later this week, the NWS said. Although those winds aren’t expected to contribute to large waves, they will create other dangers.
“Offshore winds of 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph, isolated gusts to 50 mph across the highest terrain and ridgetops in tandem with daytime relative humidity as low as 15% will result in critical fire weather conditions Thursday-Saturday,” the NWS posted on X.
Clouser said that the strong winds will cause fire weather conditions by drying out vegetation and creating a more favorable environment for fires to spread, although the winds won’t cause waves.
“They’re offshore winds, so they’re flowing from the land to the sea,” she said.
However, danger is still present regarding fires. Clouser urged people to be careful, particularly if they’re towing a vehicle, as dragging chains can emit sparks. She suggested people not drive over dry vegetation and avoid operating machinery in those areas as well.