The National Weather Service issued high surf advisories Thursday morning for large portions Northern California, with waves up to 30 feet high expected to hit portions of the coast until Sunday.

An increasingly ferocious and volatile surf is raising questions about the future of the state’s piers, which have defined the coastline for generations.

The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest.

At least one person died after massive waves battered Northern California's coast on Monday. A man was trapped by debris that washed up on a beach in Santa Cruz, authorities said. The man was rescued and taken to the hospital where he later died.

A man died on a Santa Cruz beach Monday after being pinned under debris washed up by a large wave, authorities said. Another man has been reported missing.