Ian James reported that Tropical Storm Genevieve is expected to send up to 11-foot swells toward San Diego County beaches by Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service said the surf and rip currents could make swimming hazardous across Southern California.
Genevieve was about 500 miles off the southern tip of Baja California and had sustained winds of about 155 mph as a Category 4 hurricane. Early Monday, it briefly became the first Category 5 hurricane in the eastern Pacific since Kristy in 2024 before weakening within hours.
San Diego County beaches
By Wednesday afternoon, the biggest surf was expected at south- and southwest-facing beaches in San Diego County. In most coastal areas in San Diego and Orange counties, the forecast called for 3 to 6 feet of surf, with larger sets periodically reaching 7 feet.
Surfline called the swell pattern "one of the strongest hurricane swells of the past decade" in Southern California. The National Weather Service said the storm was bringing life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Pacific Ocean track
The National Hurricane Center said Genevieve would churn northwest and west-northwest far out in the Pacific and weaken over cooler waters. Even so, the storm’s position offshore was still enough to drive dangerous surf into Southern California beaches.
Authorities said El Niño had arrived and would probably bring more stormy weather than usual to the southern United States, including Southern California. For beachgoers in San Diego County, the practical move is to treat the water as hazardous before the waves arrive, not after the swell peaks.
