(BIVN) – The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a High Surf Warning for west-facing shores of Hawaiʻi island.

Large breaking waves of 7 to 10 feet were forecast for Saturday night, increasing to 8 to 12 feet on Sunday.

“Expect strong breaking waves, shore break, and strong longshore and rip currents making swimming difficult and dangerous,” the forecasters wrote.

From the National Weather Service on Saturday evening:

Several strong low pressure systems with storm to hurricane force winds will produce three large northwest swells, from the 300-320 direction, over the next seven day time period. Expect an extended period of surf heights above High Surf Advisory (HSA) thresholds affecting exposed north and west facing shores of all Hawaiian Islands. The peak energy associated with each of these northwest swells will be strong enough produce surf heights above High Surf Warning (HSW) levels for the same areas.

The first in this series of northwest swells will continue to fill in overnight, peaking later tonight and early Sunday, then slowly lowering from Sunday afternoon through Monday. A HSW remains in effect until Sunday evening for exposed north and west facing shores.

A second and slightly larger northwest swell will arrive late Monday, peaking late Monday night into early Tuesday, and then slowly lowering from late Tuesday through Wednesday. A third and equally large northwest swell will fill in Wednesday night, peaking on Thursday, and then slowly lowering from Thursday night to Friday. Both of these northwest swells are forecast to produce two additional periods of warning level surf for all exposed north and west facing shores.

“Oceanfront residents and beachgoers along the affected shores are advised to be on the alert for high and dangerous surf,” stated the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense in a Saturday evening radio message, adding that “roads and beach closures may occur without notice.”