'Stay well back ... or risk certain death': Giant waves slam California coast

[riversedge]

Source: washpost





By Ian Livingston December 17 at 4:15 PM

Storm systems, driven by persistent low pressure near Alaska, are churning waters to dangerous levels along the West Coast of the United States.

The focus of the punishment from massive waves is from southern Washington state through central California. The San Francisco Bay area is one region taking the brunt, with waves expected to reach 30 to 40 feet in height through Tuesday. It’s even been enough to postpone a surfing competition.

This event is huge, and truly affecting the whole West Coast. High surf warnings extend from north of the Oregon and Washington border to about a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles. High surf advisories or gale warnings stretch from the Canada to Mexico border.

“The dramatic wave heights are related to a consistent fetch of wind action that . . . has origins up near Alaska,” Marshall Shepherd, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Georgia, writes at Forbes........................................


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2018/12/17/stay-well-backor-risk-certain-death-giant-waves-slamming-california-coast/?utm_term=.35902f5e4516

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Hope the suffers take heed of this warning.









Winds rotating around a large low near Alaska today. (earth.nullschool.net

[Power 2 the People]

1. Wow!

[BootinUp]

2. .

[Brother Buzz]

3. Surfers catch big waves at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay

Surfers catch big waves at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay

Monday, December 17, 2018 12:50PM

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KGO) -- Mavericks, the highly-anticipated surfing competition, may not take place until next month. But that doesn't mean surfers aren't out in Half Moon Bay to take advantage of the big waves.

SKY7 was above the high surf on Monday afternoon and caught all the action.

VIDEO: Gigantic wave sweeps over surfers in Half Moon Bay ahead of Mavericks

Organizers for Mavericks say by Thursday, conditions would be clean but not consistent enough to have a competition.

They add they have plenty of time left in the window to hold the event and January is typically the best time for Mavericks.

https://abc7news.com/sports/video-surfers-catch-big-waves-at-mavericks-in-half-moon-bay/4917430/

[BigmanPigman]

4. Wow, I guess the surfers won't need to fly to

Hawaii to catch the big ones. This is so exciting for them!

[still_one]

5. The water is a lot colder in the bay area than hawaii. You definitely need a wetsuit in Northern Ca

[BigmanPigman]

6. You need one in Southern CA too. Brrrrr......

[SkyDaddy7]

14. You sure do!

I remember my ignorant 18yr old Georgia southern boy ass being completely SHOCKED at how freakin COLD the water was when I got to my permanent duty station at Vandenberg AFB, California! I honestly had no clue I was expecting the water to be like what I was use to in the Gulf of Mexico or off the East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean...WRONG!!!! HELL, it was so cold body parts would go numb in minutes & I’m not joking! On base there was 35 miles of coast the public could not access so the fishing, abalone & crabbing was off the charts awesome! Some of my best times out there were by myself watching the seals play or especially the otters! I miss Vandenberg!

[BigmanPigman]

15. Climate Change has made ocean temperatures higher than ever

this past year being the warmest...80 degrees for about two weeks. This causes humidity which we never had much of in the past either. I was used to go the Jersey shore where ocean temps were warm and when I moved to San Diego it was a shock.

[Brother Buzz]

11. Oahu's North Shore Pipeline Masters is happening right now

And a lot of the competitors will be in Half moon Bay next month; the annual Mavericks Challenge California Surf Contest is a one-day, invitation-only surfing competition.

[central scrutinizer]

7. Pipeline!

[link:https://m.

|

[Enoki33]

8. Surfers along the Central Oregon Coast are staying out of the water too.

All the jetties are dangerous places to be, especially at high tide and with wind gusts up to 70.

[byronius]

9. 30 to 40 feet?!?!

That's huge.

[OnlinePoker]

10. We've had a train of storms in BC for the past week and a half

Looks like another is hitting tonight.

On edit, On a positive note, it's filling up the reservoirs quickly and the area ski hill, which last week had a base of 0cm now has 77cm and it's snowing heavily there right now.

[StTimofEdenRoc]

12. Is that is why deck chairs are all at the far end of the balcony?

[pwb]

13. Our Ocean borders are sinking, the south is turning to desert.

And this Disadministration looks away.

[Locrian]

16. 'Stay well back ... or risk certain death'

ok - not to be pedantic, but...


Definition of risk
possibility of loss or injury

certain
as a certainty : assuredly

[greyl]

17. Somewhat related, rare tornado in Port Orchard, Washington today.

Link to tweet