What’s New

California’s coastal residents are facing dangerous conditions this Christmas Eve as high surf and flood warnings continue after heavy waves caused a pier to collapse on Monday.

Why It Matters

Portions of the Pacific coast are currently under hazardous seas warnings, high surf warnings and coastal flood warnings as it is shaping up to deliver some of the most severe surf conditions of the winter season, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Portland.

The NWS issued a high surf warning, with waves reaching up to 35 feet, which can pose significant risks to both property and lives.

“Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches,” the agency warned in a Christmas Eve bulletin.

The alert remains in effect until Tuesday evening, prompting evacuations and heightened vigilance in several coastal communities.

What To Know

The NWS warnings come after a municipal wharf in Santa Cruz that was under renovation succumbed to a storm’s force. Around 150 feet of the structure collapsed into the Pacific, pulling three engineers inspecting the site into the water. All three individuals survived with two rescued by lifeguards and one swimming to safety.

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said that section of the pier had been damaged over time, and the structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter.

Tony Elliot, Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department head, confirmed that the severed portion of the wharf, which included restrooms and a closed restaurant, drifted nearly half a mile before settling in the San Lorenzo River.

In response, coastal towns including Santa Cruz have evacuated vulnerable homes and hotels as the state braces for more damage.

What People Are Saying

Keeley said Monday: “We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning.”

The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water.”

The NWS office in Portland, Oregon, said in a post on X:“It will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office posted to X on Monday afternoon, saying that he is aware of the situation with the pier.

“@CAGovernorNewsom has been briefed on a previously damaged section of the Santa Cruz pier that broke off due to heavy surf. @Cal_OES is coordinating with local officials and is ready to provide support,” Newsom’s press office wrote. “Residents and visitors should avoid the area and follow local guidance.”

What Happens Next

As California residents grapple with these dangerous conditions, meteorologists warn that the storm’s high surf may be the most intense of the season.

With more severe weather expected, officials are urging the public to heed warnings and avoid risky coastal areas.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

Words of caution circulated online after a portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf in California broke off and drifted into the surrounding waters on Dec. 23.

Two people with minor injuries were rescued and transported to a local hospital, and a third made their way to safety on their own after the partial collapse happened at 12:45 p.m. PT, according to Santa Cruz officials. No deaths were reported.

A bystander-captured video and shared on X of a large part of the wharf, which is similar to a pier but often smaller, and its debris drifting in the water on the same day. The video owner is credited as Harrison Patiño. A second video, viewed by TODAY.com, shows a small, house-like wooden structure floating in the ocean following the partial collapse.

The 2,745-foot-long wharf has long been a local landmark and tourist attraction and was constructed in 1914, according to the City of Santa Cruz website. It is the sixth wharf to have existed at the site just off of Beach Street.

On X, the press office for Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, cautioned residents and visitors to avoid the area and follow local guidance.

“Newsom has been briefed on a previously damaged section of the Santa Cruz pier that broke off due to heavy surf,” the post reads in part. “(California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services) is coordinating with local officials and is ready to provide support.”

In a press conference later in the day, Santa Cruz officials confirmed that authorities had braced for potential damage to the wharf ahead of time due to strong storms and swell.

“We also would tell people that we want them to stay away,” Rob Oatey of the Santa Cruz Fire Department said. “We pointed out before, the ocean right now is extremely dangerous, so we’re telling all people to stay away, to observe from a safe distance. It’s the holidays, and we have people visiting from out of the area. Observe from a very safe distance. And if they can observe online.”

The official cautioned that debris from the wharf will continue to spread in the ocean and that storms would continue to affect the area for the next four or five days.

The Santa Cruz Wharf has now been closed to the public.

It is now illegal to possess or transport golden mussels in California.

The California Fish and Game Commission has designated the golden mussel a restricted species, the latest salvo in the battle to keep the invasive species out of the state’s waterways. The mussels are considered an immediate threat to the ecological health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and California waterways.

The emergency restrictions enacted at the commission’s Dec. 11–12 meetings in Sacramento add the mussel to the list of species restricted from live importation, transportation and possession.

“Putting golden mussels on the restricted species list is an important first step toward containment and prevention of spread of this non-native species,” said Jay Rowan, Chief of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Branch.

Authorities say golden mussels are a bigger threat to California waters than other mussel species because they can thrive in a wider range of water quality conditions.

State and local agencies have been on high alert for the golden mussel since it was first spotted in mid-October in the Port of Stockton.

The Oct. 17 discovery was the first in North America, say California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.

The mussels, native to China and Southeast Asia, likely found their way to California waters by large ships.

The emergency listing will reduce the potential for people to introduce the bivalves to other waters of the state, say fish and wildlife officials.

The mussels easily make their way into live wells, bilges and ballast tanks, watercraft’s engine systems, plumbing and other compartments onboard boats. The mussels can survive for extended periods of time in the water that collects in the craft’s systems

Since the Stockton discovery, local agencies, including Solano County, have imposed travel restrictions and quarantines on watercraft sailing from the Delta.

In November, Solano County barred watercraft traveling from the Delta from launching in Lake Berryessa without a 30-day quarantine or decontamination.

2024 The Sacramento Bee. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.