A powerful storm raging along the West Coast whipped up waves as high as 60 feet, killing one man, washing another into the sea and triggering multiple rescue efforts when a pier collapsed in Santa Cruz, California, authorities said.

A series of storms are expected to continue to batter the west coast on Tuesday in the run-up to Christmas, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and huge sea waves.

On Monday, wild weather in Santa Cruz turned deadly when a large wave hit a man and trapped him under debris on a beach, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said.

The death occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time at Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz, about 75 miles south of San Francisco. First responders managed to pull the man from the water, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the sheriff’s office said. The man’s name was not immediately released.

According to the sheriff’s office, the storm also caused the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf Pier to partially collapse. According to the sheriff’s office, three men, all members of a city crew that was working on the pier at the time, were thrown into the ocean.

Lifeguards jumped in and rescued two of the men, while the third worker swam to shore alone. According to Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley, none of the men were seriously injured.

The incident severed a 150-foot section at the end of the pier, which was undergoing a $4 million restoration. Large parts of the pier were floating in the water.

The video showed a worker stranded on a piece of the pier floating in the water being rescued by a first responder on a jet ski.

The sheriff’s office also issued an evacuation order Monday afternoon for oceanfront residents along a roughly 3-mile stretch of coastline south of Santa Cruz, citing heavy waves and high tides.

The National Weather Service in the Bay Area warned that “dangerous and life-threatening beach conditions,” including rough seas and crashing waves of up to 60 feet, are forecast along the Pacific coast through Tuesday.

Another rescue attempt took place Monday near Monterey, where authorities believe high surf likely pulled a man into the sea. According to Marina police, the incident occurred around noon at Marina State Beach on Monterey Bay.

“Bystanders tried to help the person; however, their rescue efforts were unsuccessful due to extremely large waves and strong currents,” a police statement said.

Marina police officers, firefighters, the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Highway Patrol launched an extensive search for the man using boats and aircraft, but had to abandon the rescue operation when weather conditions became too dangerous, police said. The man, who was not immediately identified, remained missing Tuesday morning.

According to police, at the time of the search, the National Weather Service estimated waves in the Santa Cruz area were 25 to 50 feet.

High surf warnings have been issued along the West Coast from Washington to Southern California.

The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office said first responders also conducted water rescues at a harbor near Capitola, about 4 miles south of Santa Cruz.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso and Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.