Double Weather Warning: Wildfire Risk High and Dangerous Surf Conditions

The following weather alert was sent out by the National Weather Service:

Overview

Two areas of focus for this update: The first will be continued dry conditions combined with northeast winds raising fire weather concerns this evening through Thursday afternoon. The second concern will be a large west swell moving into the coastal waters late Thursday afternoon building into Friday evening. This swell will result in large surf and sneaker waves.   

TIMING

• North to Northeast winds will develop late Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. 
• Relatively small but powerful long period west swell will begin to impact the beaches late Thursday morning and will build in size through Friday evening. These waves are expected to impact the entire coast from Sonoma to Monterey County.     

IMPACTS

*Hazards:

• A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the North Bay Hills valid from 10 pm Wednesday night through 3 pm Thursday afternoon. 
• A High Surf Advisory is in effect for the entire coast from Sonoma County south into Monterey County valid from late Thursday morning through Friday evening. 

*Impact 1 (Fire Weather/North Bay Hills) :

• North to Northeast winds will promote further drying of the airmass and fuels.
• These winds will also increase the potential for rapid fire growth.

*Impact 2 (Surf/Beaches):

• Initially small but fast moving waves will raise the potential for people to be washed off of rocks, jetties and steep beaches.
• Waves will continue to build resulting in high surf at select beaches and deep water breaks. These larger waves will result in strong rip currents and a heightened risk of sneaker waves, especially on steeper beaches.