Marie brings 'life threatening surf and rip current conditions' to southern California beaches
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 10:04 AM - "Beauty. Power. Fear." The words astronaut Reid Wiseman used to describe Hurricane Marie.
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He snapped an impressive shot of the storm from the International Space Station on Tuesday.
Once a monster Category 5 storm with 250 km/h wind gusts, Marie continues to weaken in the Pacific Ocean.
Beauty. Power. Fear. #Hurricane #Marie off of #Baja pic.twitter.com/NUvAcxU3AE
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) August 26, 2014
Although the storm itself is not a threat to land, large swells will continue to affect much of the Baja California Peninsula, the extreme southern Gulf of California and southern California through Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warns.
"Life threatening surf and rip current conditions are likely as a result of these swells as well as minor coastal flooding."
As thousands flocked to the waters Tuesday, officials are warning swimmers and surfers to be aware of the dangerous conditions.
Swell arrives from #Hurricane Marie = BIG #Surf in SOCAL. Waves up to 25' at the #Wedge, highest in a decade. https://t.co/RM8r0KjsTM
— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) August 27, 2014
If a 30-foot (9-metre) wave does materialize Wednesday, it will be the biggest wave at The Wedge since 1997's Hurricane Linda, The Associated Press reports.