A powerful storm hit California’s central coast on Monday, causing flooding and high surf. The storm was responsible for fatally trapping a man under debris on a beach and led to part of a pier collapsing, throwing three people into the Pacific Ocean.
As the storm strengthened, it was expected to bring winds similar to those of a hurricane and waves reaching up to 60 feet (18 meters), affecting areas from California to the Pacific Northwest. In response, some cities in California ordered evacuations of beachfront homes and hotels by Monday afternoon, as forecasters warned that storm swells would continue to rise throughout the day.
Later on Monday, the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning, which will remain in effect until noon Tuesday, and a high surf warning, valid until 6 p.m. on the same day.
Fred Keeley, the mayor of Santa Cruz, warned that the storm’s impact would worsen, saying, “We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning,” referring to the pier collapse in his city.
In Watsonville, along Monterey Bay, emergency responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, at about 11:30 a.m. Monday after reports of a man trapped under debris. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office believes a large wave pinned him down. The man was later declared dead at a hospital, though his identity has not been released, and further details are not yet available.
Additionally, high surf from the storm is believed to have swept another man into the Pacific Ocean at Marina State Beach, located nearly 13 miles south of Watsonville, around noon on Monday, according to authorities.
The U.S. Coast Guard and California Highway Patrol launched a search for a man missing in the Pacific Ocean after high surf pulled him into the water at Marina State Beach. Despite efforts by air and sea, search teams were forced to stop after two hours due to strong currents and worsening conditions. The man remained missing by Monday evening.
In Santa Cruz, a section of the municipal wharf, which was under construction, collapsed into the ocean around 12:45 p.m., causing three people to fall with it. Two were rescued by lifeguards, and the third managed to swim to safety. Fortunately, none of them were seriously injured. Mayor Fred Keeley explained that the damaged section of the wharf had been undergoing a $4 million renovation after being hit by destructive storms the previous winter.
David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, described the collapse as a catastrophe for those at the end of the wharf. According to Tony Elliot from the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, approximately 150 feet of the wharf fell into the water. The area was evacuated, and the wharf will remain closed indefinitely. The remaining pilings of the wharf, still in the ocean, pose serious hazards to boats due to their size and the powerful waves.
The portion of the wharf that broke off had been closed for renovations and included public restrooms and the Dolphin restaurant. It drifted about half a mile down the coast before becoming wedged at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River. The three people who fell into the water were engineers and a project manager, not members of the public. Inspectors are now evaluating the rest of the wharf’s structural integrity.
Further up the West Coast, dangerous surf conditions were expected, with waves up to 30 feet in central Oregon and southwestern Washington. Winds could reach speeds of 80 mph, and a high surf warning was in effect until 10 p.m. Monday. The National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon, predicted that this storm would likely result in some of the highest surf seen this winter.