Santa Cruz took the rare step of closing every one of its city beaches — and the Santa Cruz Wharf — for the weekend, as a powerful northwest swell generated by low-pressure systems in the northern Pacific bore down on the California coast on Friday, November 13.
The National Weather Service issued a high surf warning for the coast stretching from the North Bay down to Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast, in effect from 6 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters issued the warning as the low-pressure systems produce a very high northwest swell, KION Central Coast reported.
Source: KION Central Coast
“As the peak of the swell arrives on Saturday, breaking waves will reach up to 35 feet. Occasional sets of 40–50 ft are likely at favored breakpoints,” the weather service said in its Friday morning forecast discussion. Forecasters added that the expected waves bring “tremendous power” that would overpower anyone in the water, and that the risk of drowning is very high.
In Santa Cruz, officials announced that all city beaches and the Santa Cruz Wharf would close beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, and are expected to reopen at 5 a.m. Sunday, conditions permitting. “While the Wharf remains structurally safe, these closures are being implemented as a proactive safety precaution,” city officials said, according to KION.
Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey was blunt about why the city was not taking chances. “Entering the water or approaching hazardous coastal areas puts not only your life at risk, but also the lives of the marine safety personnel who may be called upon to rescue you,” Oatey said in a statement reported by the San Francisco Focal. “Please respect these closures and give the ocean the space it demands.” He added: “This is not a time to test the ocean.”
Source: San Francisco Focal
Closures spread down the Monterey coast
The closures extend beyond Santa Cruz. In Monterey County, Asilomar State Beach and the Coastal Trail also shut down during the same window, and parks officials said the closure could be extended through Tuesday if hazardous conditions persist. The City of Monterey closed San Carlos Beach and McAbee Beach, Pacific Grove closed its coastal turnouts, and Pebble Beach, Carmel River State Beach, Garrapata Beach and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve were also on the closure list, according to Monterey Bay Parent's roundup of agency announcements. Several other beaches from Del Norte County to Sonoma County and down to Monterey were also closed this weekend because of the towering waves and high winds.
Not every beach closed. In San Francisco, Ocean Beach is also expected to see massive waves, but the National Park Service, which manages the beach, did not announce a closure; an NPS spokesperson has previously said shutting Ocean Beach is not practical because of its many access points along 3.5 miles of shoreline.
The weather service urged coastal visitors to stay off jetties, piers and rocks and never to turn their backs on the ocean. “No selfie is worth your life. If you need to be rescued, you're also putting first responders at risk,” the weather service posted on social media Thursday. AFP's account of the NWS advisory warned that large breaking waves will run up beaches and crash over seawalls, inundating adjacent, low-lying infrastructure — and further south near Los Angeles, widespread rainfall was expected Friday into Saturday, with elevated surf fuelling dangerous rip currents.
“There is potential for moderate coastal flooding impacts at times, especially Saturday,” the National Weather Service advisory said. Caltrans is watching Highway 1 near Monastery Beach and other vulnerable spots along the coast; that stretch was not closed as of Friday, but drivers on the coast roads should expect changing conditions through the weekend.
A storm series, not a single storm
The surf is arriving with the first in a series of storms bringing rain to the Bay Area and the Central Coast. Friday's storm was expected to deliver half an inch to an inch of rain, with sustained winds of about 15 to 30 mph and gusts of 30 to 40 mph. Following a lull in the rain on Saturday, a second storm passes through the region Sunday into early Monday with similar rainfall, and a third storm is expected late Tuesday into Wednesday and Thursday, KION reported. Reporting on the swell has linked it to a strong El Niño pattern, which warms the Pacific and is known for producing unusually large waves; scientists have warned that when high tides coincide with such swells, the combination can be especially destructive to beaches and coastal infrastructure.
For Punjabi and other South Asian families across the Bay Area, the Central Coast is a standard weekend trip — and this is precisely the kind of weekend officials are asking people to skip. What happens next: the swell peaks on Saturday, with the greatest surf impact potentially again on Monday; Santa Cruz beaches and the Wharf are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Sunday if conditions permit, Monterey-area closures may be extended through Tuesday, and emergency responders remain on alert through the high-surf window.