Half Moon Bay and Sonoma County will be hit especially hard by the king tides.
Much of the Bay Area’s coastline has been slammed by enormous waves this week, the largest of which are thirty feet tall. Monstrous swells impacted Half Moon Bay and Sonoma County through Wednesday. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service have issued a high surf advisory from 11 am Friday to 7 pm Saturday.
⚠️A High Surf Advisory has just been issued. 🌊Large, long period northwest swell and strong rip currents will
impact the coast from late Friday morning through early Saturday evening. N Monterey Bay (Santa Cruz)will be a sheltered, but still hazardous. #casurf #KnowYourLimit pic.twitter.com/ei52aspJtS— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 15, 2021
King tides naturally occur during winter in California, when the highest and lowest tides break along the coast. At high tide, this means greater risk of rip currents and sneaker waves in the already freezing water.
“The beaches are not safe for anybody right now,” said Roger Gass, National Weather Service meteorologist. “If anyone’s going to go out to the ocean, stay well back from it or stay in your vehicle and just look at it from the roadside.”
The National Weather Service has also released dense fog advisories for the North Bay and San Francisco bay waters. Navigating boats is especially hazardous at this time.
Weather officials remind the public to stay a safe distance away from breaking surf, to stay off rocky and steep beaches, and to never turn their backs on the water.
Featured image source: Instagram / @kenpagliaro