A pair of major swells will produce 9-to-12-foot waves, with occasional sets to 15 feet, Thursday through Sunday along the San Diego County coastline, creating dangerous rip currents and possible beach erosion, the National Weather Service said.
The first surge of ocean energy will arrive on Thursday and will be followed by a second on Saturday, when modest rain could fall countywide as a storm from the west moves ashore.
Forecasters said most waves will be in the 6-to-8-foot range. But regular 9-to-12-foot breakers are expected, with 15-footers periodically rolling through. The weather service says the heaviest surf will occur in southern San Diego County.
Surfline, a forecasting website used by surfers worldwide, says the waves will be huge from Oceanside to Imperial Beach and that some sets could hit 18 feet, notably at Blacks Beach in La Jolla.
Minor coastal flooding could occur around 9 a.m. Thursday during a 6-foot-high tide. Swells like this typically cause beach erosion in places like Del Mar, Torrey Pines State Beach and Imperial Beach.
Big swells also place heavy stress on piers, including the Ocean Beach Pier, which is closed due to storm damage.
“It is extremely dangerous to fish or observe waves from exposed coastal structures or rocks during high surf conditions,” the weather service said in an advisory.
The weather service says it appears that the tail of a Pacific storm will generate showers Friday into Saturday, dropping about 0.25 inches of precipitation at the coast and possibly up to 0.50 inches across inland mountains and foothills.
The county has been falling behind in seasonal rainfall.
Since the rainy season began on Oct. 1, San Diego International Airport has recorded 1.12 inches of precipitation, which is 1.31 inches below average. Ramona has received 1.67 inches, which is 1.74 inches below average.
San Diego averages 9.79 inches of rain from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
