Jamye Wisecup of the Clallam County Office of Emergency Management, issued this press release at 5:40 p.m. today (Thursday):
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a high surf advisory from 10 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday for seas 23-25 feet Friday afternoon and 20-22 feet Saturday along the Washington coast.
It also issued a coastal flood watch for Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon.
Impacts
High surf will make it extremely dangerous to fish or observe waves from rocks Friday afternoon through Saturday.
Significant wave run up on beaches is likely. Potential significant beach erosion is possible.
Low-lying coastal communities such as Neah Bay, LaPush and possibly the inside Straits of Juan de Fuca coastlines may see minor flooding during the Saturday morning high tide between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Heavy rain and gusty winds to 40 mph at the coast are predicted to accompany this event.
High surf conditions
A strong storm system will produce energetic 23 to 25 foot swells on Friday, decreasing to 20-23 feet on Saturday.
This wave action likely will produce beach erosion along the coast on Friday and Saturday.
The combination of the high tide and the swell may produce some minor coastal flooding in areas along the outer coast.
Beachcombers
The moon will be in the waning crescent, new moon and waxing crescent phases making the beaches very dark with little to no moonlight.
However, the surf will remain volatile and unpredictable for those along the beaches.
Do not turn your back to the sea.
Remain aware of children, pets and vehicles that could be caught in a far reaching wave. Waves will be strong enough to pull a person, pet or vehicle out to sea.
King tides
In addition to the high swell, a high astronomical tide, (king tide), is predicted Saturday morning through Tuesday afternoon along the Washington coast, and tides are running about a foot above predicted values.
The king tides are naturally occurring and are the highest tides of the year.
King tides will occur the entire weekend through Tuesday along the entire Washington coast.
Tide charts are available at www.saltwatertides.com.
