Once Category Five Hurricane Weakens To Tropical Storm; Still Creating Dangerous Surf and Rip Currents in Southern California

In another twist to what has been a very busy Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season, what was a powerful hurricane, is weakening in cooler waters. Tropical Storm Marie, which was once a Category Five Hurricane, the first in the EPAC since 2010, has weakened to minimal tropical storm strength, and is expected to become post-tropical later on Thursday. However, the ripple effects to the ocean from the storm’s power in previous days, is generating dangerous surf conditions along the Southern California coast.

Thanks in part to winds that were once at 160 miles per hour, and a minimum central pressure that dropped to an estimated pressure of 918 millibars, or 27.11 inches of Hg, Marie has been able to churn up the seas to historic levels. Residents and experts living in Southern California have not seen surf conditions like this in 25 years.

With waves as high as 25 feet and powerful rip currents, the surf is very dangerous, but it is not keeping people out of the water. Surfers, who are looking to push the boundaries against mother nature, are getting out in these treacherous waters in droves. As a result, some 130 rescues had to be conducted.

Video footage from people at the beach, and drones flying along the coast have shown the dramatic waves from Marie pushing ashore south of Los Angeles in Malibu Pier and Surfrider Beach nearby. Surf has pounded the coast from Long Beach to Malibu causing damage to homes there as well as the Malibu Pier. NBC News reports that the powerful waves proved deadly when a surfer was killed along Surfrider Beach on Tuesday morning.

Marie became the most powerful storm of the EPAC season, which has had 13 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes, 3 Category Four Hurricanes, and one Category Five system. Marie is currently located some 820 miles to the West-Southwest of Punta Eugenia in Baja California, Mexico and dissipating with winds down to 50 miles per hour.