Flash flood warnings in effect as Thursday dawns; Santa Cruz Wharf to close Friday amid high surf risk
Quick Take
The latest atmospheric river dumped rain across Santa Cruz County overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, leading the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings for much of the area. With high winds and high surf possible through Friday, the City of Santa Cruz will close the municipal wharf on Friday in response to the stormy weather.
UPDATE, 6:15 a.m. Thursday: Flash flood warnings were in effect for much of Santa Cruz County early Thursday after heavy rain across the region in the early morning hours.
The National Weather Service put out a warning covering much of the Santa Cruz Mountains – including Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Bonny Doon – and part of the city of Santa Cruz at 3:18 a.m., later advising that the warning would be in effect through 9:15 a.m.
At 3:21 a.m., the agency put out a flash flood warning for an area covering much of Santa Cruz, Soquel and Capitola through Aptos and Corralitos into parts of Watsonville, a warning it later extended until 9:15 a.m.
Evacuation warnings remained in place for three zones along the San Lorenzo River: Felton Grove, Beth Drive and Paradise Park.
Dispatchers reported multiple scenes of roadway flooding, including on Highway 9 in the San Lorenzo Valley and in Corralitos, plus local roads blocked by falling tree branches amid the gusty winds. Multiple accidents were also reported, one involving a fatality overnight on Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Davenport.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and Big Basin Redwoods State Park are closed through at least Friday.
WEDNESDAY, 6:30 p.m.: The latest atmospheric river is forecast to bring heavy rain and high winds to Santa Cruz County overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning as the region expects several inches of precipitation through Friday morning. In response, the City of Santa Cruz says it will close the municipal wharf on Friday and restrict access to coastal infrastructure including areas of West Cliff Drive.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from Wednesday night through Saturday night, a high surf warning from Thursday afternoon through early Saturday morning, and a high wind warning from early Thursday morning through late Friday morning.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation warnings for the Felton Grove, Beth Drive and Paradise Park areas of unincorporated Santa Cruz County on Wednesday evening.
NWS meteorologist Joe Merchant said that the bulk of the rainfall is forecast pass by Friday morning, but residual precipitation will likely linger into the weekend. In total, the agency predicts that lower county elevations will see 2 to 3 inches of rain between Wednesday night and Friday morning, while mountain regions will see between 3 and 5 inches in that same time frame.
Merchant said winds could be intense at times, with the strongest coming along the coast, maxing out with gusts from 50 to 60 mph. Those mellow out significantly in more inland areas, where winds are expected to be in the much more modest range of 25 to 35 mph. In the mountains, Merchant said there will be a similar wind speed of 35 mph, with some gusts that could reach 50 to 60 mph.
Merchant also said that the San Lorenzo River is expected to briefly reach “action stage,” which means that the water surface will be near or slightly above the top of the banks, and the NWS will consider issuing flood warnings. However, he added that the river is expected to peak at 14.5 feet at 9 a.m. Thursday, only slightly above the action stage threshold of 14 feet, and that it will “really not be in action for very long, probably less than six hours.”
Wharf businesses are still reeling from the loss of vital income over the winter holidays from the Dec. 23-Jan. 4 wharf closure that followed the partial collapse of a 150-section of the wharf’s end. Another forced closure on Valentine’s Day is “horrible,” said Anna Wold, owner of Vino By The Sea, a wine and craft beer bar on the wharf.
“I already had a band booked for Friday night, and a Valentine’s Day dinner that I now have to cancel that I already had 10 couples confirm for,” she said. The wine-paired dinner was priced at $60 per person.
Wold is also hosting events throughout the weekend, including a belly dancing troupe on Saturday, when the city planned to reopen the wharf, and a live band on Sunday, but it won’t make up for her lost revenue on Friday, she said.
“I understand that the city is trying to err on the side of caution and wants to keep everyone safe. We appreciate that. But at the same time, when it’s this type of situation it’s hard for the businesses,” said Wold. “If it was just a normal day, it wouldn’t affect us as drastically. When it’s a holiday, it’s even harder.”
Mark Gilbert owns both Firefish Grill and Woodies Café on the wharf. When he received the email on Wednesday, Firefish had around 10 reservations booked, and he expected more to come that evening. He said the city’s decision is the right one when it comes to public safety, but it’s a hard hit for area businesses.
“It’s a lot of hits we’ve had to take. It’s not like we’re in downtown Santa Cruz or populated areas. We depend on those holidays,” said Gilbert.
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