High surf warning issued for Sonoma County beaches until Tuesday afternoon

Beachgoers are urged extreme caution once again while a beach hazard statement from the National Weather Service and a high surf warning are in place until early Tuesday afternoon for beaches from Sonoma County to Monterey Bay.

The beach hazard statement, warning of sneaker waves and rip currents, began at 9 a.m. Monday and will continue through 5 p.m. Tuesday. Around that time, the National Weather Service expects the swell to transition into more intense and more frequent large breakers.

Those large breakers are expected to continue through 5 p.m. Tuesday, said meteorologist Anna Schneider. Throughout the entirety of the warning, people should exercise extreme caution at the beach: avoiding coastal jetties and never turning their back to the ocean.

The National Weather Service has issued several beach hazard statements in recent weeks, as winter storm fronts move south from the northwest. The swell affecting tides along the Bay Area early this week is from a storm system in the Gulf of Alaska, Schneider said.

While the waves during the beach hazard statement will begin slowly, with forerunner waves occurring every 21 to 25 seconds, the rhythm will quicken as the swell builds.

Heading into early Tuesday, waves reaching up to 18 feet and occurring about every 20 seconds are possible. Later Tuesday waves could reach up to 25 feet or more.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.