Remember how stripped San Clemente's beaches looked all summer, appearing more like a rock quarry than a playground of soft sand?

Well, it's November, and at least one prominent stretch of beach is back.

In the past three weeks, an influx of soft sand has pushed onshore, covering virtually all the cobblestones between Linda Lane Beach and south of T-Street Beach, the most populated of San Clemente's beaches.

Enjoy it while you can. Winter is on the way and, historically, winter storms strip the beaches of sand.

"I assume the gravel is still there," San Clemente Marine Safety Chief Bill Humphreys said Tuesday when asked where all the cobble went. "It's probably down three or four feet. It's a large volume of sand that has come in, and it should provide us with a little extra buffer going into the winter months."

SEE A SLIDESHOW HERE.

One popular San Clemente beach did not benefit North Beach still is covered largely with cobble.

Humphreys said that's probably because the south swells that have suddenly replenished the beaches from T-Street to Linda Lane by pushing in sand from the south ran up against an obstacle Mariposa Point and the sand didn't make it around the point to North Beach.

"Sand will generally build up on the side of a point that faces the swell direction," Humphreys said. "The back side of a point or a jetty or groin will typically erode. More sand accumulated on this side of Mariposa Point."

Humphreys estimated the sand level has risen three to four feet in front of Marine Safety headquarters and on the north side of the San Clemente Pier in recent weeks. "It's a high-quality sand, real fine, no gravel," he said. "It's a shame it didn't come in time for summer."

Here is the original post:

Swells bring unseasonal sand to San Clemente beaches