(Reuters) – Coastal areas in California are facing potential flooding and towering waves, leading to evacuation orders and warnings to residents to avoid beaches and coastal roadways. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has predicted significant flooding in low-lying coastal areas, with powerful waves and strong rip currents posing an “exceptional risk” of drowning and damage to structures such as piers and jetties.
Furthermore, waves as high as 20 feet (6.1 meters) could cause more damage to waterside homes in vulnerable communities along the California shoreline, which has already been battered by extreme surf and heavy rains. Ventura County in southern California has issued an evacuation warning for residences along the Pacific Coast Highway, and area beaches remain closed, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
Forecasters in the San Francisco Bay Area have also warned of a coastal flood and high surf, which will remain in effect into early Saturday afternoon. They expect breaking waves of 26-30 feet along west-facing beaches along the central and northern California coastline.
Ventura, located about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles, has been hit hard by the extreme weather conditions, with heavy surf inundating homes and businesses with seawater, sand, and ocean debris since Thursday. The treacherous surf and coastal flood threat are attributed to a Pacific storm system that brought heavy downpours to much of the West Coast on Friday night, coinciding with the arrival of exceptionally high tides, known as king tides.
Officials have reported damage to structures and injuries to at least eight people. The Pacific storm system has been attributed as the cause of the treacherous surf and coastal flooding, coinciding with the arrival of exceptionally high tides known as king tides.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
