Southland Weather : Beaches to Take Pounding as Storm Kicks Up Surf

High surf generated by a powerful storm north of Hawaii is expected to pound many Southern California beaches today, said the National Weather Service, which warned that the waves probably will cause sand erosion and tidal flooding in some low shoreline areas.

But the hammering breakers and thick fog that made driving hazardous in the inland valleys both should ease by Saturday, the forecasters decided, leaving most of the Southland with a warmer, pleasant weekend.

They said a building high-pressure system should stir Santa Ana winds to clear the skies today after “another dense fog night for valleys east and south of Los Angeles.” The winds are expected to abate Saturday.

The fog produced near-zero visibility in the Fontana area Thursday morning when nearly two dozen cars slammed into each other in the southbound lanes of Interstate 15. At least eight people were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries, but the California Highway Patrol said none appeared to be serious.

The pile-up occurred about 7:20 a.m. when one car spun out of control and was struck by another head-on. The CHP began escorting motorists through the fog bank. Fog was blamed for other accidents in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties.

In the meantime, west-facing beaches were expected to be pounded by occasional 10-foot breakers overnight and today. Ventura Harbor already was reporting them at 12 feet Thursday afternoon and nearby Channel Islands Harbor had 10-foot crests.

The Ventura Pier was closed Thursday morning after several pilings were reported slightly damaged during high tide combined with high surf. Lifeguards had to make several rescues, reporting that some inexperienced surfers were swept against the barnacle-encrusted pilings.

An anticipated high tide of more than six feet at Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors this morning, combined with the large ocean swells, “will likely cause local severe beach erosion and tidal flooding in low-lying areas,” said a heavy-surf advisory issued by the weather service.

With the maximum danger expected at high tide, 7:42 a.m. today, coastal property owners were cautioned to do what they could to protect their homes.

Today should begin under cloudy skies, with 20- to 40-m.p.h. gusty north or northeast winds spilling down through the canyons and spreading south by afternoon and evening. The clouds will clear in the afternoon and coastal-area high temperatures should be in the mid-60s to low-70s, rising a few degrees on Saturday.