Beach hazards statement warns of 3-to-6-foot surf and rip currents at Huntington Beach through Tuesday morning

Huntington Beach is under a National Weather Service beach hazards statement from 9 a.m. Sunday through Tuesday morning, with surf building to 3 to 6 feet and dangerous rip currents expected along the Orange County coast, the weather service said. The San Diego office issued the statement at 12:59 a.m. Sunday for the San Diego County and Orange County coastal areas.

The warning lands on a sunny beach day, with a forecast high in the low 80s in Huntington Beach, according to the local forecast listings that carry the weather service alerts.

Lifeguard station 12 at Sunset Beach, its side posted with a beach hazards warning. The weather service advises staying out of the water, or staying near occupied lifeguard towers, while the statement is in effect.

M.O. Stevens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

In its additional details, the weather service said minor beach erosion and tidal overflows may occur across south-facing beaches, especially in the Huntington Beach area. The statement says surf will build to 3 to 6 feet on Sunday and persist through Tuesday morning.

The weather service said there is an increased risk of ocean drowning, that rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea, and that waves can wash people off beaches and rocks and capsize small boats nearshore.

File photo: a competitor carves through a wave during the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea, the weather service said.

Pedro Szekely, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

The precautionary guidance is direct: "Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions, or stay near occupied lifeguard towers. Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks."

The statement is scheduled to remain in effect until 9 a.m. Tuesday, October 20. A separate statement from the weather service Los Angeles office covers the Ventura County, Malibu and Los Angeles County beaches over the same Sunday to Tuesday window, with the same 3-to-6-foot surf and the same rip current warning.