by Rain, coastal flooding and waves up to 25 feet high were expected along parts of the West Coast over the weekend, after giant waves hit the California coast and prompted some evacuation warnings.
In Southern California, forecasters predicted waves of up to 25 feet and said the threat of major coastal flooding would last through Sunday night. For the coastal areas of Orange County and San Diego County, high surf warnings They were in effect until 2 a.m. Monday. Coastal flooding and high surf warnings were active for beaches in several counties, including Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura until 10 p.m. Sunday.
The Weather Service office in Los Angeles he told the surfers and bathers that the risk of drowning was high, and the California state park system outdoor enthusiasts warned You have to be careful on the coast. More than a dozen California state parks and beaches were totally or partially closed because of bad weather.
A high surf warning was in effect for more than six million people on Friday night. along the Oregon and California coasts. The Weather Service office in Medford, Oregon, said it expected damage to infrastructure and beach erosion due to breaking waves up to 25 feet high until early Saturday morning.
The large waves were part of a storm system approaching the west coast early Friday. The Meteorological Service said in a forecast Moderate rain, becoming heavy in some places, is likely across much of California later in the day. A foot or two of snow is possible in the Sierra Nevada on Saturday night.
Some coastal areas of California, Oregon and Washington state were also under a gale warning through Friday night, meaning wind gusts of 39 to 54 miles per hour were imminent or occurring.
Santa Cruz County issued evacuation warnings Sea River and the Bird Dunes areas will begin at 10 p.m. Friday, saying dangerous conditions would persist into Saturday morning. An evacuation warning previously issued for capitol it remained in effect Friday night.
There is evidence that the United States can expect more unusual and severe storms as the planet warms, potentially striking in new places or at unexpected times of year.
Last winter brought some of the fiercest weather California had seen in decades, including many atmospheric rivers (narrow conveyor belts of water vapor in the sky) that dumped wave after wave of precipitation onto the already soggy ground.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in October that expected conditions to be wetter than average across much of California this winter, in part due to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Juan Yoon contributed reports.
