A strong surf slammed into Marin’s coast Thursday and beach-goers are being warned of sleeper waves and potentially deadly rip currents.
All the activity is being stirred up by a far-away hurricane in the Pacific Ocean, which has now been reclassified to a tropical storm.
Hurricane Fabio has weakened, but its impact was seen Thursday at Rodeo Beach near Sausalito as surfers took advantage of larger-than-usual swells. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm’s sustained winds were still as high as 70 mph. It was centered about 935 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula on Thursday.
Officials at the center said Fabio would rapidly weaken and was likely to degenerate into a remnant low-pressure system Friday. At one point, forecasters had thought Fabio might become a major hurricane. While it is tapering off, its initial fury is still being felt locally.
“The power of the hurricane created the heavy waves and they are still coming up from the south and hitting our coast,” said Steve Anderson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “That will continue until about 3 p.m. Saturday.”
Larger than usual swells were reported from Sonoma to Monterey counties every 15 to 17 seconds at coastal buoys Thursday morning.
The increased risk of rip currents and sneaker waves are most prevalent at south-facing beaches. Black Sands Beach is a south-facing beach below the Marin Headlands, as are Limantour, Wildcat and Stinson beaches in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
“The weather is supposed to be nice and people are off, so there could be a lot of people at the beaches,” said John Dell’Osso, spokesman for the Point Reyes National Seashore. “You never want to turn your back to the ocean. People need to be careful.”
Bolinas beaches are also oriented south, as is Rodeo Beach tucked behind the Marin Headlands, and Muir Beach.
Those beaches could see minor erosion from the breaking surf. The effects won’t be as strong as west-facing beaches.
The largest waves — up to 8 feet in height — were expected to arrive Thursday night and continue into Friday. The large swells will decrease Friday night and dissipate Saturday.
“People should be aware of those sneaker waves and the riptides,” Anderson warned.
People should not wade in shallow coastal waters as the rip currents can suddenly pull even the strongest swimmers out to sea. Children and pets should be monitored closely. If people find themselves being pulled out to sea, they should swim parallel to the beach until waves carry them back in, officials advise.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is predicting temperatures in the 60s along the coast through the weekend, with highs into the low 80s inland.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach the author at mprado@marinij.com or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkPradoIJ.
