California’s coastal communities, already battered by powerful swells from Pacific storms on Friday, faced another round of towering waves and possible flooding on Saturday.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles forecast significant flooding in low-lying coastal areas with powerful waves and strong rip currents posing an “exceptional risk” of drowning and damage to structures like piers and jetties.
Officials in Ventura county in southern California sent out an evacuation warning on Saturday for homes along the Pacific Coast highway as waves as high as 20ft (7 metres) were predicted to wreak havoc up and down the shoreline. The Ventura county fire department said area beaches remained closed.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, forecasters said a coastal flood warning and a high surf warning would remain in effect into early Saturday afternoon. Breaking waves of 26-30ft were expected along west-facing beaches along the central and northern California coastline, it said.
On Friday, authorities in Ventura built large emergency barriers in the Pierpont area, where a rogue wave on Thursday smacked spectators and vehicles as it overran the beach and flowed into a neighborhood.
Eight people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries after the Pierpont incident, according to Ventura county authorities, who closed beaches, piers and harbors through 31 December.
Similar waves overran beaches elsewhere on Thursday on the California coast, flooding parking lots and streets and triggering evacuation warnings for low-lying areas.
“We have had water down the lane once before but never like this,” Karris Kutivan, a nine-year Ventura resident, told the Associated Press.
On Saturday, residents in Ventura and the central coast city of Santa Cruz began to clean the debris left behind from the rogue waves. In Orange county, several beaches remained closed due to minor flooding in parking lot areas.
The Los Angeles-area weather office stated that powerful cyclones over northern Pacific waters were sending 12-17ft (3.6-5-metre) swells, creating “tremendous wave energy across coastal waters”.
“Overall, this is expected to be an exceptional high-surf and coastal flooding event that has not occurred in many years,” the weather service said. “Take caution and heed the direction of local authorities and lifeguards. Never ever turn your back to the water as damaging and life-threatening sneaker waves are likely to occur.”
The treacherous surf and coastal flood threat were attributed to a Pacific storm system that also brought heavy downpours to much of the west coast on Friday night, while coinciding with the latest arrival of exceptionally high tides known as king tides.
Reuters contributed reporting
