Deadly ‘sneaker wave season’ has started in the Pacific Northwest
The dangerous phenomenon has already claimed one life in Oregon, as experts advise people along the coast to use caution to avoid being swept out to sea.
BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA: Tourists cautiously walk along Pfeiffer Beach during a high surf warning with possible 30 to 40-foot, or higher, breaking waves in Big Sur, California on Tuesday Dec. 24, 2024. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Residents along the Northern California and Oregon coasts have been warned to stay away from shore through midweek, as the "sneaker wave" season has begun and a life-threatening type of wave is on the prowl. A 40-year-old woman was killed in the surf at Siletz Bay, Oregon, on Sunday.
Rip currents are part of the risk, but there are also sneaker waves, which can quickly knock a person into the surf, where rip currents may then make the situation life-threatening. Sneaker waves are larger waves in a set of smaller waves that may surprise people at the shore, and can be deadly. Although they can happen at any time, the danger in the Pacific Northwest is most severe between October and April, the National Weather Service (NWS) says.
During those months, cold water and debris can make the ocean more deadly, sweeping beachgoers into the cold surf, or injuring them with floating tree trunks. Sneaker waves can also contain heavy sand, which can weigh people down, making it hard to escape being pulled farther into the ocean. Between 2000 and 2018, 20 people were killed by sneaker waves along the Oregon coast.
To avoid getting caught in a sneaker wave, watch the beach's wave patterns for at least 20 minutes before approaching shore, the NWS advises. Stay farther back from the water's edge than you think you should be, and avoid turning your back to the ocean. Sneaker waves can reach onto dry shore as far as 150 feet inland.
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