Coastal flood warning, high surf warning issued for Bay Area; rainy weather expected during Christmas week

Bay Area residents were warned about flooding concerns and hazardous beach conditions as stormy weather was expected to impact the region during Christmas week.

The National Weather Service said a high surf warning was in effect through noon Tuesday for San Francisco, the North Bay coast  including Point Reyes National Seashore, the Peninsula coast, the Monterey Bay, and Big Sur Coast. Breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet are expected along the coast, with some favored spots such as Mavericks just north of Half Moon Bay potentially experiencing up to 40-foot breaking waves. 

Monday afternoon part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed amid the high surf, with authorities confirming two people had to be rescued from the water.  

Santa Cruz officials said that the collapse happened at around 12:45 p.m. Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said the part of the pier that collapsed "was a portion of the municipal wharf that has already been determined to need to be taken down and repaired over time," which it included the Dolphin restaurant and one of the public bathrooms on the wharf.  

Keeley also confirmed that the people who fell into the water were city personnel who were working on the wharf at the time, but noted that there were no injuries and all people were accounted for.  

There were multiple beach rescues during the high surf Monday. One person was found dead Sunset State Beach around 11:30 a.m. for reports of a man trapped under debris. A second person remained missing after going into the water at Marina State Beach in Monterey County Monday afternoon.

The conditions in the surf were unquestionably serious.

"Definitely nothing to take lightly. I'm an avid water person, and if you weren't, you'd probably be in a bit of a different situation," said San Francisco resident and surfer Chris Reddick after having his board snapped in half by the waves and rocks at Fort Point. "Not friendly I would say. Yeah, there's a lot of water movement."  

For all beaches along the Pacific Coast, the National Weather Service sent out an "extreme weather risk" warning of "dangerous, and potentially life threatening conditions."

"This one is different. It's had the entirety of the Pacific to generate across," said National Weather Center meteorologist Brian Garcia. "The swell has shown up a lot larger and a lot earlier than we initially thought.  Hence we have not only the high surf warning, out but also the coastal flood warning out."  

Forecasters say to expect very high surf, rip currents, sneaker waves, and coastal flooding through Tuesday with breaking waves up to 40 feet high making for very rough seas for boaters.

KPIX First Alert Weather: Current conditions, alerts, maps for your area

In addition, a coastal flood warning was also in effect until noon Tuesday because of the high surf's potential impact to coastal locations such as piers, wharves, and other structures along the coastline, the Weather Service said. Residents can anticipate flooding of low-lying roads, parking lots and coastal trails.

The Weather Service warned the conditions could result in dangerous and life-threatening situations at the bay, ocean and beach through Tuesday. Ocean swells will begin to diminish beyond Tuesday, but the hazardous surf conditions are expected to remain into next week.

Meanwhile, coastal drizzle and North Bay showers were forecast Monday with more widespread significant rainfall spreading across the region late Monday into Tuesday morning. Rain was expected to be intense, according to the Weather Service, with the main threats being the rapid rise in creeks, streams and small rivers and at least a 5% chance that rainfall totals exceed flash flood guidance.

Rainfall totals are expected to reach 0.5 to one inch across the North Bay valleys and coastal ranges south of the Golden Gate, up to two inches in the North Bay mountains, 0.3-0.6 inch in the Bay Area valleys and Monterey Bay region, and up to 0.25 inch across the interior Central Coast. 

The forecast for Christmas Day is expected to be dry and partially sunny, although hazardous marine and beach conditions will persist, the Weather Service said. Another storm system returns to Bay Area on Thursday and the Weather Service said there are marginal risks for excessive rainfall across Sonoma County for Thursday and Friday.

Kenny Choi contributed to this story.