High surf will pound the Southern California Cost Wednesday and Thursday, producing perilous conditions in L.A and Orange County as a result of a large swell created by winds generated by storms lined up in the northern Pacific, forecasters said.
Also expected to hit the region beginning Wednesday evening is a storm that will produce rainfall, but no further south than Ventura County, where it will fade away without affecting L.A. County, said National Weather Service meteorologist Curt Kaplan. But L.A. County will be doused by another storm Friday evening into Saturday — a “decent storm, Kaplan said — and again on Sunday through Tuesday, he said.
A high surf advisory that went into effect in L.A. County at 4 this morning will be in force until 8 p.m. Thursday. In Orange County, the advisory will be in effect from 10 a.m. today until 10 p.m. Thursday.
The high surf results from a big swell created by strong winds generated by several north Pacific storms, Kaplan said, adding surf of 6-12 feet is expected along the Southland coast but surf of 17-22 feet is likely north of Point Conception.
In reporting the high surf advisories, the NWS issued the usual warnings to swimmers and surfers.
“Swimmers are urged to use caution at all times and stay near lifeguards,” it said. If ensnared by a rip current, a swimmer should stay parallel to the shore until able to break free.
The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies in L.A. County Wednesday and highs of 58 on Mount Wilson; 60 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 63 in Avalon; 64 in Saugus and at LAX; 65 in Long Beach and San Gabriel; 66 in Burbank and Downtown L.A.; 67 in Pasadena; and 68 in Woodland Hills. Temperatures will be marginally lowers from Thursday through Saturday, then sink into the low 60s starting Sunday.
Partly Cloudy skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 51 on Santiago Peak; 60 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 61 in San Clemente; 62 in Laguna Beach; 63 in Newport Beach and Fremont Canyon; 64 in Yorba Linda; 66 in Trabuco Canyon; and 67 in Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine, and Mission Viejo. Temperatures will stay roughly the same through Sunday, then slip a few degrees — down to the high 50s in some communities.