As El Niño nears, California found 57 dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition, and regulators have never yet penalized an owner.
Weather
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Santa Cruz County coast faces possible coastal flooding, 16-foot waves and dangerous surf
The National Weather Service will issue a coastal flood advisory beginning on Friday and a beach hazards statement on Saturday.
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Santa Cruz County’s heat wave, one job at a time
As a heat wave gripped the region, Lookout journalists spoke with workers from Santa Cruz to Capitola to Watsonville about how they were getting through it, shift by shift.
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Heat advisory in Santa Cruz County: Temperatures to reach 90s through Thursday
Santa Cruz County and much of California are under a heat advisory as peak temperatures are forecast to reach the low 90s in Santa Cruz and Watsonville and the upper 90s in the mountains.
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Central Coast issued red flag warning Friday with thunderstorms, lightning in forecast
Lightning strikes could result in fires and winds that could gust up to 50 mph may cause rapid fire spread. The National Weather Service also warns of an increased risk for power outages as the winds could bring tree limbs down onto power lines.
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Strong El Niño could shape Santa Cruz County’s winter — but what that means is anyone’s guess
A strong El Niño climate pattern is forming and currently has a high likelihood of manifesting in the winter months. While the pattern usually causes either drier or wetter winters depending on the region, the Central Coast is often a coin flip.
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NWS extends beach hazard warning as hurricane swells prompt dozens of rescues in Santa Cruz County
The National Weather Service will extend its beach hazards statement through Saturday afternoon, the agency told Lookout on Monday, following a weekend full of water rescues due to rough ocean conditions.
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Hurricane Fausto pushing dangerous conditions this weekend to Pacific Coast, including rip currents and sneaker waves
A beach hazards statement will be in effect from Saturday morning through Tuesday afternoon for beaches along the Pacific Coast, including Santa Cruz County, warning that Hurricane Fausto could generate dangerous ocean conditions that could sweep people off their feet and pull them into the water.
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About 1,600 out of power in Santa Cruz County after strong winds; no public safety shutoffs planned locally
More than 1,600 Santa Cruz County residents were out of power on Monday afternoon due to strong winds that brought down tree branches and affected power lines in rural parts of the county. There were more than 3,000 without power earlier on Monday. Pacific Gas & Electric also implemented some public safety power shutoffs throughout the state, but is not currently planning any for Santa Cruz County.
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Did Santa Cruz have record-breaking heat last month? NWS meteorologists can’t say after 130-year-old weather station stopped running in 2022
National Weather Service meteorologists say they cannot determine whether Santa Cruz set heat records during last month’s extreme temperatures because a 130-year-old volunteer-run climate station — the only site meeting strict long-term data standards — stopped operating in 2022, leaving a gap in the official record despite widespread unofficial measurements from other local sensors.
