Surf's up...way up! Warnings and advisories in place along SoCal beaches

The highest surf conditions so far this winter are expected on the coasts of Los Angeles and Orange counties this week, the National Weather Service said today.

The NWS issued a high surf advisory for San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties for 10 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Thursday.

Several strong storm systems in the Gulf of Alaska have caused a large northwest long period swell to start moving down the seas off California. These large, long-period swells will bring an extended period of high surf to northwest and west facing beaches across SW California beaches beginning Monday and persisting through at least Wednesday night, the NWS warned.

The waves will wrap around various points and could cause large waves and unusual currents all along the coast, including south-facing beaches in Santa Monica Bay and Orange County, the NWS warned.

The surf was expected to build Monday with peak surf conditions Monday evening through Tuesday night, then begin to taper off Wednesday and Thursday.

Waves as high as 15 feet were predicted for Tuesday, and the conditions were expected to cause water to overtop jetties and create strong rip currents.

Forecasters said inexperienced swimmers should stay out of the water for the duration of the advisory.

Though the conditions should fade Thursday, there is potential for the high surf to continue into next weekend, the NWS said.

Copyright 2018 FOX 11 Los Angeles : Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube .