Storm brings early gift to surfers

Offshore weather will push waves to 10 feet or more Wednesday; for the biggest, head north from Newport.Veteran surfers who chose to split town for the holidays may be kicking themselves come Wednesday.

A storm coming from Hawaii is expected to bring waves upwards of 10 feet to parts of coastal Orange County Wednesday and early Thursday, according to surf-tracking company Surfline.com.

Flooding in low-lying areas is possible, according to Surfline’s president, Sean Collins. Since the highest tides came last week, there is a decreased likelihood of erosion, Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner said.

Collins said the storm has intensified, with winds of up to 50 knots and wave heights up to 50 feet about 1,000 miles from the California coast. He said it’s an El Niño-type storm that has picked up tropical moisture to fuel its strength.

“The good news is the storm is going to turn north, and the swell from the storm will be very large,” Collins said. “We get a few major storms every year, and this is not that out of the norm. It’s rare to get one with a storm getting so close without us getting bad weather.”

A weak ridge of high pressure over California will likely keep weather conditions favorable along the southern coast, Collins said.

The highest waves -- with sets near 15 feet -- will likely be seen between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, Collins said. The waves will decrease in size in the southern beach locations, coming in at 6 or 8 feet around the Newport Pier.

Collins said the high surf is scheduled to hit around midnight Wednesday and continue through Thursday morning, when it should taper off.

Catalina blocks many of the biggest waves from hitting Corona del Mar and Newport Beach coastal areas, Collins said.

Turner said the surf looked good on Monday. He said the Newport Beach Lifeguards will increase patrol staffing, in part because of an influx of tourists.

“We’ve seen quite a few people [from] out of state on their Christmas break,” Turner said.

Collins said he doesn’t expect anyone other than an “extreme surfer” to navigate the high waves on Wednesday. He warned recreational surfers to head south, and he said fishers should stay off rocks and jetties in Newport Beach on Wednesday and Thursday.

Newport Beach’s general services department will be monitoring the surf conditions, said Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff.

In the event of larger-than-expected waves, Kiff said the city has sandbags prepared that can be put in place in any low-lying areas.

“We’ll play it by ear and look where the surf is coming from,” he said.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter. He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at [email protected].

20051220irs0t5ncDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)A surfer rides a big wave Monday evening off Balboa Beach.