Size predictions vary, but city takes steps nonetheless
SANTA MONICA BEACH — The waves crashing on local shores may be taller than 20 feet by noon today, and officials say they will be keeping an eye on the action.
According to Wetsand.com — one of the Web sites county lifeguards use to track beach weather forecasts — some of the tallest waves Santa Monica has seen in years may be hitting its shores on Wednesday.
“They’re supposed to be big,” said Darren Nelson, a county lifeguard.
A Pacific storm that was 600 miles off shore by 6 a.m. on Tuesday is expected to cause waves on Santa Monica’s beaches ranging between 3 to more than 20 feet high by Wednesday, also set to be the shortest day of the calendar year. said it’s expecting waves of 10 to 13 feet commencing at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday afternoon.
The waves are expected to come from a west-by-northwest storm system that’s been traveling at low latitudes toward the region, according to Wetsand.com. The storm — characterized as “moderately sized” for the Pacific, with 30 to 35 feet swells — is expected to be close enough to the coast to significantly affect wave size on Wednesday.
According to Wetsand.com, most storm systems traveling through the Pacific either turn northward before nearing the California coast or lose strength once passing the Hawaiian Islands. However, Wednesday’s storm is expected to be different.
“We’re in for a direct hit from this system,” according to the Web site.
Traveling at a low latitude, the incoming angle on this storm will be directly west of Southern California, and it may even bring in some energy, the Web site reads.
Wednesday weather, overall, is expected to be partly cloudy with highs from 65 to 70 degrees. In the morning, pre-dawn size around west-facing beaches is expected to be 10 to 12 feet. By late morning, heights should easily reach 15 feet, according to the Web site.
The biggest portion of the swell is due late morning to early afternoon with face heights reaching 18 feet, and possibly more than 20 feet by noon. The information is based on best-case scenarios for west-facing beaches, and Santa Monica’s beaches face southwest, making the wave sizes likely to be smaller, Franz said.
The swell is expected to have long, 14-to 16-second periods. The Web site advises that such an intense system is to be approached with caution at all beaches along the coast, no matter what direction they face.
The National Weather Service has issued high surf and coastal flooding warnings for the entire California coast.
According to Judy Franz, City Hall spokeswoman, the pier maintenance crew on Tuesday has been on alert searching for potential problems. In addition, an experienced contract crew from Meeks Engineering Company is working on the pier.
Through their own sources, Franz said city staff has confirmed the marine forecast of waves in at least the 10-foot height range.
Ben Franz-Knight, executive director of the Santa Monica Pier, said his staff will be in contact with Santa Monica’s Harbor Patrol and keep tabs on the situation.
But he is not too concerned. “The pier is built to withstand 50 foot waves, a ‘storm of 100 years,’ Franz- Knight said.
However, if 20-foot waves were to hit the pier, the first course would be to close off the fishing deck, he said. If waves were to reach the 30-foot range, the pier would be closed until the storm cleared.
Emma Covington, an employee at ZJ Boardinghouse, a retailer that sells surf boards at 2619 Main St., said that serious surfers will likely be congregating at shores north and south of Santa Monica on Wednesday.
Covington explained that beaches in Malibu and El Segundo tend to have shores where taller waves roll out more smoothly, making for better surfing. Tall waves coming into Santa Monica and Venice shores often break hard, and with the sizes expected for Wednesday, could be dangerous.
“We are expecting a swell, and our surfers will be out there where they can ride the waves,” Covington said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 21, 2005. Read the original PDF.