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Massive, dangerous waves are hitting California. Here’s why

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Massive, dangerous waves are hitting California. Here’s why


Ocean swells can be seen crashing into the Pacifica Municipal Pier as a high surf advisory was in effect on Jan. 18, 2018.

Mason Trunca/Special to the Chronicle

The first huge swell of the winter has arrived in California, and with it comes dangerous surf set to rival some of the biggest waves this year. 

Waves up to 40 feet are possible Thursday and high surf warnings and advisories are in effect up and down the California coast. It’s the first high surf warning issued by the Bay Area National Weather Service office since January, when big waves caused serious damage along Santa Cruz’s iconic West Cliff Drive that’s still being repaired.

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High surf warnings are in effect for the Pacific Coast until 3 a.m. Friday. Some of the waves are expected to be as large those in last January’s storms.

High surf warnings are in effect for the Pacific Coast until 3 a.m. Friday. Some of the waves are expected to be as large those in last January’s storms.

Baron/Lynx

Huge low-pressure systems in the Pacific Ocean are pushing large groups of waves toward the California coast.

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Three factors determine wave height: wind speed, fetch and time. Fetch is the area over the ocean where winds blow and generate waves, according to the weather service. How much time a weather-making system sits over the Pacific is also crucial, as the longer a storm gathers energy, the bigger the waves it can send to the California coast.

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This week, multiple storms have churned over the Pacific Ocean for several days, with broad swaths of hurricane-force winds creating a huge swell. On Wednesday, a 42-foot wave was observed more than 1,000 miles off the California coast.

Satellite imagery shows the large low-pressure system over the Pacific Ocean that is forecast to bring large waves to the California coast on Thursday.

Satellite imagery shows the large low-pressure system over the Pacific Ocean that is forecast to bring large waves to the California coast on Thursday.

NOAA/GOES-18 Satellite

“As those (swells) come to the coast and they break, that’s when you get those large waves at the coastlines and at the beaches,” said weather service meteorologist Alexis Clouser.

While the California coastline is frequently gusty in the summertime, winds typically only ramp up during the afternoon and evening on a local scale, not a long enough time or large enough area to generate the massive waves of winter storms.

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December typically delivers large surf to the California coast. However, Thursday’s waves are expected to be particularly large, prompting the weather warnings. Along the Bay Area coastline, breaking waves are expected to be 28 to 33 feet, and up to 40 feet in places like Maverick’s and 17-Mile Drive.

Waves of 15 to 20 feet are forecast at Point Conception and up to 15 feet in San Diego.

“We really want to hammer home that beaches will be very dangerous,” said weather service meteorologist Nicole Sarment. “People should really not even go.”

Large waves are also expected in Southern California between Thursday and Saturday, prompting surf warnings and advisories.

Large waves are also expected in Southern California between Thursday and Saturday, prompting surf warnings and advisories.

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The large waves will add up to a foot of storm surge to the coast on top of the annual high tides around the winter solstice. Due to these factors, minor coastal flooding is possible Thursday.

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The Bay Area weather service office issues typically only one or two high surf warnings per year. Last winter, a series of storms prompted the office to issue three separate warnings between Jan. 4 and 13.

While the current high surf warning is set to expire Friday morning, large waves will continue through Saturday.

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“Just because the warning ends, that does not necessarily mean it’s safe to go into the water,” Clouser said. “We will continue to see these larger waves throughout the next few days.”



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California

Coast Guard detains more than 20 migrants on boat off California coast: report

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Coast Guard detains more than 20 migrants on boat off California coast: report


Newport Beach, California, Mayor Will O’Neill is blasting state lawmakers after the Coast Guard apprehended 21 migrants who were on a boat nearly a mile off the coast on Thursday.

FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that 18 of the migrants who were detained were from Mexico, while two were from Uzbekistan and one was from Russia.

“There’s no way you intend on trying to protect Uzbeki nationals coming in from our southern border,” O’Neill said, directing his comments to California lawmakers. “Get your act together, figure this out, because we’re having real problems affecting real people in your cities all across California. You cannot continue to treat every city in California like a border city. You cannot put us in this position. We have real problems, and we need you to fix them now.”

On Thursday night, Coast Guard crews apprehended the 21 individuals about a mile from shore in Newport Beach after noticing suspicious activity from the boat they were on.

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The Coast Guard apprehended 21 migrants from a fishing vessel on Thursday, nearly a mile off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif. (U.S. Coast Guard)

“We come across boats on a regular basis,” Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Read told the station. “Not all the time do they have that many people on it, though.”

O’Neill said his concern is that when people are coming into the U.S. through the southern border, especially from Uzbekistan, “something is broken.”

“Every city in California now is essentially a border city thanks to SB 54,” he told FOX 11. “We’re told our local authorities are prohibited from working with federal authorities from stopping people like this.”

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Aerial view of surf and sand in Newport Beach

A sailboat cruises through Newport Harbor on March 2, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Also known as the “California Values Act,” SB 54 is sometimes referred to as a “sanctuary state” law.

The law was implemented in 2018 and effectively legalized noncooperation between state law enforcement agencies and federal immigration officials.

FOX 11 reported another incident involving illegal immigrants in Newport Harbor in May. Video of the incident reportedly showed more than 20 suspected migrants walking onto a pier before scattering into town.

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The station located the fishing vessel used in Thursday’s incident, which is reportedly a 34-foot fishing boat with a stack of life jackets inside.

The 21 migrants apprehended on Thursday were handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.



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California man dies after semi-truck crash on I-44

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California man dies after semi-truck crash on I-44


PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) – A man from California has died after a semi-truck crash on I-44 Saturday morning.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the semi-truck was driving west on I-44 around 2 a.m. near the 193-mile marker.

The crash happened when the semi went off the right side of the road and hit a guardrail and a concrete bridge. After hitting the bridge, the semi went airborne and hit an embankment.

The passenger, a 54-year-old man from Hacienda Heights, California, died at the scene. The driver, a woman from California, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

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This marks MSHP Troop I’s 33rd fatal crash in 2024.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.



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California to remove racist term for Native American Woman from more than 30 places

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California to remove racist term for Native American Woman from more than 30 places


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Officials in California are working to remove a racist term towards Native American women in more than 30 locations in California, according to the state Natural Resources Agency.

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The removal of the term “squaw,” which was deemed “derogatory” by the Secretary of the Interior in 2021, is part of AB 2022, a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022. The law asks that the term be removed “all geographic features and place names in the state” by Jan. 1, 2025.

“The term is recognized as a racial, ethnic, and gender-based slur, particularly aimed at Native American women. Its removal is a crucial step in recognizing the ongoing trauma and oppression that Native communities have faced,” officials said in a news release.

In a statement on social media, the agency described the move as a “bold new step towards healing for past injustices.”

PRO-NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISTS FIGHTING TO SAVE INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS IN NATIONWIDE WAR AGAINST WOKENESS

California ski resort whose name included a derogatory term for Native American women changed its name to Palisades Tahoe. ((Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images))

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The full list of new California names is not currently available but has been selected with the help of California’s Native American tribes and will be released shortly, the natural resources agency told The Associated Press in an email.

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California delegates from the Indian Rights Association

Three California delegates from the Indian Rights Association meet with Representative Harry Shepard of California to put their claims before Congress. The delegates are Julia Ross Gardner form the Piute, Celestine Pico Von Bulow from the Pachanga, and Thomas Largo from the Cahuilla. (Getty Images)

Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the Natural Resource Agency Geneva Thompson said this is an extremely important step for Indigenous people.

“Acknowledging those historical wrongs that were committed against Native Americans is extremely important, but we need to take the next step toward healing,” Thompson said. “While there are differences among folks, we can build communities that reflect and honor and celebrate those differences instead of alienating and perpetuating historical wrongs.”

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The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names says they will implement approved replacement names by Jan. 1.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the California Natural Resources Agency for comment.





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