Powerful ocean waves continued to pound California’s coastline on Friday morning — perhaps with slightly less force than 24 hours earlier — and the National Weather Sercice said the second in a series of storms continued to move methodically toward the region.
Rain is expected to begin falling by noon and then get heavy as the afternoon and evening progress, NWS meteorologist Roger Gass said. At least an inch is expected through most of the region, although “slightly less” might fall in the South Bay and “a bit more” could soak the coastal mountains, he said.
“In general, it’s going to be heavy everywhere,” Gass said.
The weather service also continued to advise people to avoid the beach or other pursuits that may occur just off the water. A coastal flood advisory remained in effect through 2 p.m. On Thursday, large, dangerous waves thrashed coastal towns.
They were not expected to be quite as powerful on Friday, but Gass said they were still plenty powerful enough.
“We’re expecting high waves to be crashing on-shore again. Maybe not quite as big,” he said. “We’re really gonna see an increase again (Saturday), as a new swell comes on shore”
On Saturday, swells were expected to be at least 23 feet high, and they could peak at 40 feet in areas such as Maverick’s, where surfers travel for big waves.
The storm arriving early Friday is expected to drop rain on the region through the overnight hours and into early Saturday morning, when it is expected to depart the region. The Bay Area won’t have a lot of time to dry out; another quick-moving storm system that won’t produce as much rainfall is expected to arrive Sunday night and last into Monday.
Another system also tails that one, Gass said, and is likely to arrive Tuesday night.
“We’re definitely in a more active pattern,” he said, adding that it’s typical for this time of year. “The pattern may not be as strong as previous ones we’ve seen, but it’s there.”
Temperatures were expected to rise slightly with Friday’s rain, with highs moving into the mid-60s through the region and the lows curtailing in the low 50s. The arrival of Sunday’s system is likely to bring temperatures back down again, according to forecasters.