Thursday, huge waves caused by a strong storm in the Pacific Ocean hit beach towns all along the California coast.
The National Weather Service sent out Coastal Flood Warnings and High Surf Warnings for waves that broke at least 28 to 33 feet high from San Diego to Los Angeles and beyond San Francisco. Waves as high as 40 feet were expected in some places.
Huge waves hit beaches and roads along the coast. Some went off the road and hit homes and businesses. It was so heavy that road workers had to use plows to clear State Highway 1, south of San Francisco, which runs along a beautiful valley. Some parts of the road were too muddy to be plowed.
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Several coastal towns in northern and central California were told to leave their homes by officials.
Reporters in the area talked to people who were shocked by how big the waves were. A lot of people went to the beaches to film and take pictures. Watch the video below to see how the shocked journalists in Capitola screamed and ran away from a monster.
There was a bigger wave, and everyone was told to leave the Esplanade right away. Before anyone said anything, Yesica Guzman wrote on social media.
“The police were watching out for everyone.” The waves didn’t hurt anyone, at least not close to us. Soon after this video, everyone got their evacuation orders, and police took anyone nearby with them.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Information Officer, Ashley Keehn, told KTVU FOX 2 that the area was warned to evacuate around 8 a.m. today. “As you can see, these waves are very strong,” she said. The logs are being washed up here. There is a lot of trash and logs. People have been asked to stay away from the straight coastal area.
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Ventura County is north of Los Angeles. A wave hit the top of the pier there. The NWS said it was about 20 feet tall.
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The waves didn’t stop. Look at this picture of Ventura, California taken from above. The booms happen in sets, one after the other.
Rescue workers in Ventura County were busy with both rescues and calls about people who were hurt. Waves broke windows and glass doors in homes and swept people off of docks and beaches.
Flood and high surf warnings along the coast of Northern California end late Thursday night and early Friday morning. The NWS said that the next big waves will hit on Saturday.
The NWS office in Los Angeles is not taking any risks, so warnings are in effect for Southern California until Saturday night. When the tide is high, the flooding is worst.