Life-threatening rip currents and elevated surf are likely this week along San Diego County’s coastline, according to the National Weather Service.
On Monday, the agency said the dangerous conditions, including surf in the three-to six-foot range, would remain through Friday night.
Long ocean swells in the Pacific Ocean, far south of San Diego’s beaches, typically cause these powerful currents, said Sebastian Westerink, a meteorologist with the weather agency.
“Usually, we see the south swells come and impact our coast for a day or two, and that’s usually kind of the extent of our beach hazards statement,” he said.
A couple of days of strong currents in May and June are normal. But it’s unusual “to have such strong or such persistent energy out of the south and southwest for a period of a week,” Westerink added.
Multiple storms in the southern hemisphere are sending massive amounts of water up onto Southern California beaches, particularly south-facing beaches like those in northern San Diego and Orange counties, he said.
The dangerous surf conditions have kept lifeguards up and down the Southern California coast busy in the last several days. In Laguna Beach last week, emergency crews searched for 24 hours for a young girl who was swept into the ocean by a large wave.
In San Diego, lifeguards performed more than 385 rescues since last Sunday, most of which occurred in the Windansea area in La Jolla, city spokesperson Candace Hadley said in an email.
She said that while the safest thing to do is to stay out of the water during hazardous swimming conditions, people who decide to get in the water should always swim in front of a lifeguard tower. They should also avoid swimming alone and, if caught in a rip current, “remain calm, swim parallel to shore and signal for help.”
