The National Weather Service says it’s monitoring whether Tropical Storm Elida, which is expected to become a hurricane on Friday off the southern tip of Baja California, will turn northwest and send huge surf to San Diego County beaches.
Elida officially became a tropical storm on Wednesday, producing sustained winds up to 50 mph. Such a system becomes a Category 1 hurricane when it produces sustained winds between 74 and 95 mph.
Experienced surfers love storm surf. But it poses danger to inexperienced swimmers and surfers who venture into the ocean when waves crack ashore, especially at south-facing beaches.