Massive Pacific Waves Smash California Coast, Eight Injured

Screen grab of a sneaker wave overwhelming people
in California Thursday as they tried to run away.

 It was another beautiful Thursday along the southern California coast, except for one big problem. Or many big problems, really. 

Massive waves smashed into the coastline, catching people off guard and battering oceanfront homes and businesses.  It was one of the strongest wave onslaughts on record along the California coast. 

The culprit was an intense offshore storm that stirred up the Pacific Ocean, creating the high surf that punished pretty much the entire California coastline. 

Despite warnings to stay away from beaches and other areas that could be hit by waves, people flocked to the shore to watch, which was part of the problem.

Anytime you have high surf in California like on Thursday, so-called sneaker waves will catch people off guard.  A sneaker wave is one that is much bigger than all the others, aka they sneak up on you. You feel safe because all the waves you've been watching for the past half hour have all stopped well away from you. 

Then the sneaker wave comes in, and suddenly, you're in the surf. 

The sneaker waves also smashed into shoreline buildings, including one instance in which waves crashed through a barrier, then through ground floor windows of an occupied motel in Ventura.  Streets were also flooded in Santa Barbara.

Further north, beach neighborhoods in Marin County were evacuated due to flooding, though residents were allowed to return later. Two children in the Bay Area were knocked down and washed onto a walkway by a big wave, but they appeared not to be injured. 

Some very worth watching videos the California waves can be viewed by clicking HERE  HERE and HERE

The waves have subsided somewhat today, but are still pretty huge. Officials are still telling everyone to stay away from the water. The storm is now bringing rain to northern and central California, and a bit of minor flooding is possible today and/or tomorrow.

Storms that produce big waves are pretty common in California during the winter. With El Nino now  raging, I expect California to be at risk for more of these big waves, strong winds and episodes of heavy rain through the winter. 

Climate change is probably making things worse too. The warming planet adds a little extra turbo charge to storms, making them stronger. Sea levels are rising, so wave heights that might not have caused much trouble decades ago now cause some coastal flooding.

That will continue to gradually escalate in the coming years and decades.