Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud captured the aftermath of Monday’s huge swells, which caused a portion of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to collapse, damaged the city’s small craft harbor and forced the evacuation of parts of Rio Del Mar and Capitola Village. View a gallery of his photos.
Weather
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Portion of Santa Cruz Wharf collapses, harbor damaged and parts of Capitola Village flooded amid huge swells
A section of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday, plunging three construction workers into 25-foot swells. At least nine people were rescued countywide as authorities evacuated parts of Capitola Village and Rio Del Mar for flooding and closed several beaches because of dangerous conditions.
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Huge swells could force holiday beach closures in Santa Cruz County
Dangerous ocean swells are forecast to hit California’s Central Coast this weekend through Monday, with waves up to 40 feet possible. State beaches in Santa Cruz County could close for safety during the holiday week.
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Scotts Valley didn’t get a tornado warning, but San Francisco did. Why?
National Weather Service meteorologists issued a tornado warning for San Francisco on Saturday morning but ultimately, no twister appeared there. Lookout talked to a meteorologist to understand why Scotts Valley residents weren’t issued a tornado warning before one touched down there.
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Tornado touches down in Scotts Valley, closing Mount Hermon Road
A tornado touched down in Scotts Valley on Saturday afternoon, damaging cars and bringing down trees and utility poles, and closing Mount Hermon Road to traffic.
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Thousands without power as high winds, rain hit Santa Cruz County
A powerful storm battered Santa Cruz County early Saturday morning, leaving nearly 20,000 homes and businesses without power and forcing road closures across the region. Witnesses reported seeing a funnel cloud in Scotts Valley.
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A drier La Niña winter may be brewing. Santa Cruz County isn’t taking chances.
Although the Climate Prediction Center estimates a 57% chance this winter of a La Niña weather pattern, often characterized by drier weather, the Central Coast’s unique location makes it difficult to predict whether Santa Cruz County will see more, less or the same amount of rain as usual. Regardless, local governments that have faced severe storms in recent years have been prepping for winter weather for over a month now.
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Santa Cruz County readies for first major rain of season as atmospheric river heads for California
As the first atmospheric river of the season heads toward California, Santa Cruz County can expect an onslaught of rain and some minor flooding for the next five days. The National Weather Service anticipates up to 1.5 inches of rain will fall at the height of the storm.
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It’s a hot 4th all around Santa Cruz — and maybe hotter if you’re leaving town
Independence Day’s scorching weekend appears to be bleeding into the following days, as temperatures look to stay elevated throughout most, if not all, of next week. As per usual, how hot it will be for you depends on where you are in the county. In any event, it will be hot, though. Lower elevation areas […]
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With 100-degree weather in the mountains, Santa Cruz’s summer heat wave will last through the weekend
This week is poised to be extremely hot in Santa Cruz County, with some areas getting multiple days in a row of triple-digit temperatures. Hot weather is likely to extend into the next two weeks as well.