Bay Area prepares for high winds, waves from Sierras blizzard

• The governor's Office of Emergency Services is urging residents to avoid traveling to, from or near the Sierras until the area is cleared by authorities.

State of play: Though San Francisco is not forecast to weather the same conditions, rain is expected in coastal areas.

• The NWS has issued a high surf advisory in effect from 10am Friday through 4pm Saturday, warning locals to beware of large 15- to 20-foot waves that have the potential to pull people into the sea or propel dangerous objects.
• The Bay Area will also be subject to another cycle of high winds, with gusts up to 50 mph expected.
• A few power outages may result, NWS said in its wind advisory, which is in effect from noon Friday to 10am Saturday.

The big picture: The Bay Area is still recovering from its last two winter storms, which led to historic wind speeds, hail and even the risk of a tornado.

• The one in early February was the worst single storm for PG&E outages in 30 years, with damage causing outages for over 1.4 million customers.
• At least three people in Northern California were killed in the immediate aftermath.

The bottom line: "March will be coming in like a lion for the West Coast states," per the NWS' Weather Prediction Center.