Heavy surf, strong rip currents will hit San Diego County beaches this weekend

Local sea surface temperatures are in the 68 to 73 degree range.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Aug. 25, 2022 3:44 PM PT

A swell out of the south-southwest will produce heavy surf and swift rip currents at San Diego County beaches, posing a hazard for inexperienced swimmers and surfers during the final weekend in August, says the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say the swell will arrive on Friday and peak on Saturday and Sunday, when waves hit the 4-foot to 6-foot range at some North County beaches, with occasional sets to 7 feet. The largest swells will roll ashore from Oceanside to San Onofre. Waves will range from 3-feet to 5 feet south of Oceanside.

The swell could produce surges in La Jolla Cove, making snorkeling and diving more challenging. And waves will slop up the rocks at places like Sunset Cliffs.

Sea surface temperatures will range from 68 degrees to 73 degrees. Coastal breezes will feel cooler this weekend as the seasonal monsoon weakens.

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Gary Robbins

Gary Robbins has been a journalist for nearly 50 years and currently covers science and higher education for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He joined the paper in April 2010 after working for 25 years at the Orange County Register, where he was science editor. Robbins was born and raised in Maine and attended Northeastern University in Boston, graduating in 1978. He served as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT during the 2000-01 academic year and a science writer fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts in June 2001. He can be reached at 714-642-5218.