LOS ANGELES, Nov 14 — California was bracing Friday for a storm series packing heavy rain and surf that could once again flood coastal communities and potentially see monster waves pound shores.
Off the coast of San Francisco, Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast, forecasters warned that up to 30-foot (9 metre) breaking waves could arrive Friday evening, with occasional monstrous sets of 40 to 50 feet possible.
Such violent waves in the Pacific are a trademark of the El Nino weather pattern, which this year has driven disruptions around the globe as it turbocharges the impacts of human-caused climate change.
“Large breaking waves will run up beaches and crash over seawalls, inundating adjacent, low-lying infrastructure,” read the last National Weather Service advisory.
