The Surf’s Way, Way Up as Huge Waves Pound the California Coast

The largest waves in nearly two years pounded the California coast on Saturday, with the intense surf crashing onto beaches and raising the threat of flooding to coastal roads and communities. High surf and coastal flood warnings and advisories were in effect along the coast as the National Weather Service advised people to stay out of the water and not even get near it. “No selfie of the crashing waves is worth losing your life,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist at the Weather Service office in Monterey, Calif.

The tumultuous surf arrived with a powerful swell that was generated by intense winds thousands of miles off the coast and traveled across the Pacific, building energy along the way. The waves at the coast grew in size Friday night, as a rainstorm swept the state. They grew even larger Saturday morning, smashing into coastal piers and sending water farther up beaches than usual. The biggest waves were expected in Northern California, with heights of more than 40 feet at fully exposed beaches and reaching more than 50 feet at Mavericks , the big-wave surf spot 20 miles south of San Francisco.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .