More big waves expected to pound California coast, high surf warnings downgraded Saturday afternoon

Powerful waves once again thrashed the Northern California coastline Saturday, but to a much lesser extent than seen earlier in the week with high surf and coastal flood warnings getting downgraded by weather officials in the early afternoon.

Santa Cruz County beaches were forecasted to see the biggest waves — potentially as high as 40 feet at some spots — though the swell was not expected to be as intense as the storm surge that slammed the area earlier this week, damaging some oceanfront businesses.

High swells that were expected overnight didn’t end up materializing in the seaside village of Capitola, which was hit hard on Thursday, according to Capitola Public Works Director Jessica Kahn. City officials didn’t find any more damage on Saturday morning, but the Esplanade, which was flooded and covered in debris several days ago, still remained closed to traffic.

The National Weather Service advised people to stay away from beaches during the warnings, which cover the entire Bay Area, Santa Cruz County and Monterey coastlines. West-facing beaches were expected to be the hardest hit. By 2 p.m., they downgraded the high surf warning to an advisory until 10 p.m. as waves were on the decline. Coastal conditions, however, still remain hazardous with officials warning that waves could still reach 16 to 20 feet.

“These larger waves can come out of nowhere and be a lot bigger than you think they are,” said weather service meteorologist,” Dalton Behringer.

Saturday afternoon, Pacific Grove police officials lifted a full road closure along the Monterey peninsula on Oceanview Boulevard from Esplanade Street to Lighthouse Avenue. The road had flooded and was covered in debris earlier this week. The Otter Point turnout, however, remained closed.

The swell was forecast to gradually increase through the morning before tapering off in the afternoon. Moderate rain showers were expected throughout the day across the region.

“This afternoon thing should start to ramp down pretty quick,” Behringer said. “Showers, clean air, things should start to get pretty nice this evening.”

Saturday morning, Santa Cruz County officials said that an assessment of the overnight wave impacts on the coast appeared “minimal,” though, they did discover “significant sand loss on beaches.”