Anyone heading to the Santa Cruz waterfront this weekend will find it closed. The City of Santa Cruz shut all city beaches and the Santa Cruz Wharf from 10 p.m. on Friday, November 13, until 5 a.m. on Sunday, November 15, as a powerful Pacific storm pushed dangerous surf onto the Central California coast. The city said the timing could change depending on conditions, so visitors should check before driving over the hill.
The National Weather Service issued a high surf warning calling for breaking waves of 25 to 35 feet or larger along parts of the coast, along with gusts of up to 40 mph and possible flooding in low-lying areas. The Bay Area forecast office put it bluntly, warning that any wrong move or stumble near the water could turn deadly. Power outages from the wind are considered likely, and county officials have said coastal evacuation warnings are possible.
Officials are asking people not only to stay out of the water but to stay away from it altogether. Santa Cruz County urged residents and visitors to keep off rocks, jetties and cliffs, not to go out to watch or photograph the waves, and to keep children and pets well back from the shoreline. Fire Chief Rob Oatey said the first priority is keeping the community safe, and noted that anyone who gets into trouble in the surf also puts rescuers at risk. Cowell Beach had already been closed since a whale stranded there on Thursday.
The wharf has good reason for caution. Storms on December 23, 2024, tore roughly 150 feet off its end; it reopened in January 2025 and restoration was only completed in April 2026. The same storm system is also affecting travel inland, with Caltrans postponing a planned full closure of State Route 4 east of Discovery Bay to November 22. Travelers with coastal plans this weekend should consider moving them to Sunday afternoon or later.
Sources: Lookout Santa Cruz, KTVU
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