High surf will pound Long Beach and other coastal areas this week ahead of a bout of rain forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, National Weather Service forecasters said.

A high surf advisory—a more serious level of warning than the beach hazard statement that the NWS said Monday would be issued today—will be in force in Los Angeles County through 10 p.m. Friday.

Surf of 6-12 feet is expected in L.A. County and of 5-8 feet in Orange County with occasional 9-foot sets. according to the NWS.

NWS forecasters said the high surf and accompanying rip currents would create an increased risk of drowning for swimmers and surfers, and sneaker waves would create hazards on shore amid minor coastal flooding and minor beach erosion.

“There is an increased risk for ocean drowning,” according to an NWS statement. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Large breaking waves can wash people off beaches and rocks and capsize small boats near shore. Pooling of sea water is possible around high tide at beach and harbor areas.”

The NWS also warned that rain will douse the region Wednesday and Thursday.

It will start Wednesday along the Central Coast and work its way south, reaching L.A. and Ventura counties Wednesday night, forecasters said. Widespread rainfall is expected Thursday.

Forecasters said that between a half-inch and 2 inches of rain is expected in L.A. and Ventura County as a result of the impending rain, and between a half-inch and an inch-and-a-half in Orange County.

They said the rain could unleash rockslides, mudslides and debris flows down slopes recently denuded by wildfires at the sites of the Woolsey Fire in L.A. and Ventura counties, the Hill Fire in Ventura County and the Holy Fire in Orange County.

Wednesday’s temperatures will dip in the mid-60s Wednesday and Thursday.