Beach Hazard For Watsonville Ahead Of Storm

WATSONVILLE, CA — A Beach Hazard has been issued for Watsonville and the entire Bay Area coast, from northern Sonoma County to Big Sur. The hazard is in effect from Thursday at 3 a.m. until Saturday at 3 a.m.

A storm that could bring up to an inch of rain to the Bay Area starting Wednesday could also bring dangerous rip currents, and sneaker waves of up to 12 feet, the National Weather Service said. On Friday, waves might reach up to 18 feet in surf zones, NWS said.

In Watsonville, rain is expected to start late Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Winds are expected to start to increase to 9 to 14 miles per hour by Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service predicts an eighty percent chance of rain Wednesday night with precipitation totaling less than a tenth of an inch. On Thursday, more rain is expected with a possible thunderstorm Thursday night when the chance for rain increases to 100 percent.

The thunderstorm Thursday night could produce small hail, the National Weather Service said. The 100 percent chance of rain continues through the night then light rain is expected Friday morning before the possibility of light sun and scattered rain in the afternoon.

Anyone near the coast is advised to stay out of the water, far from the shoreline, stay off coastal rocks and jetties, keep children close, pet on leashes, and never turn their back to the ocean. See here for more information.