Storm, with more big waves, on tap
Grab a jacket. This weekend will be colder than average, with strong winds.
As a storm moves into Southern California this weekend, forecasters are warning that powerful waves — the type that recently killed a person in Pismo Beach and injured several in Ventura — will continue to pound the coast.
A high surf advisory will go into effect at 2 a.m. Saturday for Ventura County, which is expected to see 7- to 10-foot-high waves over the weekend, and the Central Coast, which will likely see 12- to 20-foot-high waves, according to the National Weather Service.
There’s a slightly lower chance for high surf in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties Sunday into Monday morning.
Dangerous surf conditions have taken a toll along California’s coast.
Brindha Shunmuganathan, 39, of Georgia, was visiting with her family Dec. 30 when she and her two children were knocked down by a large wave, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Tony Cipolla said. Emergency officials received a 911 call about the incident shortly after 9 a.m.
Family members were able to pull the children out of the water, but Shunmuganathan was repeatedly battered by the waves, authorities said. Bystanders were eventually able to pull her from the water and perform CPR but were unable to resuscitate her. She died at the scene. The official cause of death has not been disclosed.
The weather service had warned about extremely dangerous beach conditions for the Central Coast at the time, with the forecast calling for 15- to 20-foot waves and some 25-foot sets. Officials had warned the public to stay away from the water because of dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents.
On Dec. 28, eight people in Ventura were injured when they were struck by a massive rogue wave that swept over a sea wall and flooded streets. When the spectators saw the wave coming, they began running; the drivers of two trucks also tried to f lee. The water swept up several people and one of the vehicles. Several people were taken to the hospital and treated for moderate injuries, authorities said.
Further south, the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego suffered storm damage from high surf in the last weeks of December. Video shared on social media showed waves chipping away portions of the 57-year-old pier.
A San Diego spokesperson told public station KPBS that there are plans for a public meeting to discuss replacing the damaged pier, which has been closed since October because of high surf.
San Diego has spent roughly $1.7 million over five years to repair the pier, and it has been closed about 30% of the time because of damage, the city said in a news release.
In San Mateo County, the Pacifica Pier will also be closed this month because of storm damage. A structural analysis will be conducted on the 50-year-old pier in the coming days, and it should reopen by Jan. 26, the Pacifica Department of Public Works said in a news release.
In addition to high surf, the storm slated to arrive in Southern California late Friday or early Saturday will bring lower temperatures, cloudy skies and rain. Temperatures on Saturday will reach the mid-60s during the day and drop to the low to mid-40s overnight, with a 20% chance of rain.
Temperatures could reach freezing conditions Friday night and Saturday morning in the Ojai Valley in Ventura County, Agoura Hills and Calabasas in Los Angeles County, and portions of the Inland Empire. In addition, a 24-hour wind advisory will be in effect in and around Los Angeles County beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, according to the weather service.
“It will be cold and windy for the most part,” meteorologist David Gomberg of the weather service office in Oxnard said.