The National Weather Service is tracking “very large and powerful” ocean swells expected to hit Bay Area beaches, including San Francisco, until early next week, potentially creating hazardous conditions.
The weather service is warning of rip currents and 10- to 13-foot sneaker waves hitting beaches from Sonoma County to Monterey County from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursday. Another round of high surf, with waves around 15 feet, is expected Saturday and Sunday, before the biggest waves begin Monday night and last through Tuesday morning.
Sneaker waves can “sweep across the beach without warning and pull people into the sea,” NWS meteorologist Dial Hoang told The Standard.
A moderate to long period west to northwest swell will result in an increasing risk of sneaker waves and rip currents from Sonoma County to Monterey County. Sneaker waves are likely to break between 10 and 13 feet. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/Zy6FGWW4W5
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 17, 2024
The strongest of the systems, which forecasters describe as a “big old bomb of a storm,” is predicted to generate waves up to 56 feet high near the International Date Line before heading toward the West Coast of the U.S., according to Mark Sponsler, a self-taught meteorologist and big-wave surfer who tracks Pacific storm systems at Stormsurf.
Although it’s too early to be certain, Sponsler said 40-foot waves in parts of the Bay Area are possible.
“I strongly suggest nobody getting anywhere near the ocean unless they want to die,” Sponsler told The Standard.
The powerful low-pressure system will move in from the Pacific Northwest. While the storm hasn’t formed yet, it has been appearing in forecast models for several days, and experts are monitoring conditions. “We’ll be issuing high surf advisories or beach hazard statements when we are confident enough in the forecast,” Hoang said Wednesday.
“We encourage people to never turn their back to the ocean,” Hoang added, noting that beachgoers should avoid rip currents and swim only at beaches that have lifeguards.
Besides the rough surf, there will be “very impactful rainfall” in the region, Hoang said.
This would mark the first major swell event of the big wave season, which typically begins in October, following what Sponsler called “a slow start.”
Experts recommend viewing the waves from elevated locations like cliffs, staying well away from beaches.
“Don’t take your kids down on the beach. That would be the world’s biggest mistake you could make,” Sponsler said, adding that it’s also “not a good time to go crab fishing.”