High surf forecast for warm holiday weekend
Waves were building along area beaches Friday afternoon, moving into what forecasters expect will be a warm weekend with large surf.
The National Weather Service issued a high-surf and rip-current advisory for Orange County beaches on Friday. Lifeguards anticipate that the large waves, paired with higher than normal temperatures for February, will attract a lot of visitors to the water for Presidents Day weekend.
Forecasters expect coastal temperatures around 70 degrees Saturday, rising past 80 degrees Sunday and Monday.
Waves are expected to reach up to 8 feet north of Newport Beach on Saturday before dissipating late Sunday afternoon, according to the advisory. The largest swell in Newport is expected to be at the Wedge surf spot, where beachgoers will see waves up to 7 feet Saturday.
Newport lifeguards said they are monitoring the conditions and will increase staff if needed.
Huntington Beach called in additional lifeguards Friday as larger than normal crowds headed to the ocean for the afternoon.
Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said he expects crowds will only get thicker as the weekend continues. The department plans to staff an additional six or seven towers Saturday and Sunday, he said.
“We’ve been opening up extra towers all week because it’s been hot,” Panis said. “Last year we had an endless summer, so we’ve been through this before. But we were expecting El Niño. This kind of caught us off guard.”
Officials advised beachgoers to beware of rip currents, swim near a staffed lifeguard tower and check in with a guard to determine the safest area to swim.
