Would-be beachgoers, be wary: Although Hurricane Marie is expected to stay hundreds of miles off the California coast over Labor Day weekend, forecasters are expecting rain and hazardous ocean conditions.
Rain is forecast to start Saturday night across Southern California, but Sunday is expected to be the wettest day of the weekend with widespread but light rainfall measuring less than a quarter inch.
Higher-elevation areas, such as the San Gabriel Mountains, will probably see heavier rain — up to three-quarters of an inch. There is also a 5% to 15% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Drive with caution, if you must. The weather service said in its forecast that despite the light rainfall amounts, roads are expected to be “quite slick” due to the buildup of oils over the last several months.
Even from a distance, Marie’s mark will be most acutely felt along the coast. The hurricane, which has reached Category 2 strength with sustained winds of 100 mph as it tracks north and west of the Baja California peninsula, is expected to deliver a 6- to 8-foot south swell bringing strong surf and rip currents to local beaches.
The weather service has issued coastal flood and high surf advisories encompassing Santa Catalina and Santa Barbara islands, Malibu, Los Angeles and Ventura County. The advisories go into effect at 6 a.m. Saturday and run through 11 p.m. Tuesday.
“The best course of action is to stay out of the water,” National Weather Service meteorologist Devin Black said. “It’s the safest thing to do.”
Large breaking waves and rip currents — which the weather service has described as “dangerous and potentially life-threatening” — are expected along the Los Angeles and Ventura County coasts, with the biggest surf forecast for Sunday and Monday, when waves are expected to reach 5 to 8 feet. Zuma Beach could see waves with 8 to 10-foot breaks.
The coast is dangerous this week because high tides — which peak in the evening — are coinciding with a southerly swell, Black said.
Low-lying areas and south-facing beaches including Avalon, Long Beach, Point Mugu and Malibu could see some coastal flooding, according to the weather service.
For those who are keen on getting in the water this holiday weekend, the weather service offers a bit of advice: Swim near a lifeguard, stay off rocks and jetties, and “heed advice from local officials.”
UC climate scientist Daniel Swain said Hurricane Marie probably isn’t the last tropical system that will influence California in the coming months. El Niño typically enhances hurricane activity in the eastern and central Pacific because of the warm ocean temperatures it brings to that part of the ocean.
“There will likely be others — one or two more at some point in September or October,” he said.
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