High Surf — San Diego County Coastal Areas, California

2023-12-28 · San Diego County Coastal Areas, California

Event narrative

Maximum surf heights of 15 to 18 feet were reported by Mission Beach Lifeguards. San Diego Fire-Rescue closed the Mission Bay Channel due to the surf conditions, but the Coast Guard Sector San Diego established a temporary safety zone for the navigable waters of Mission Bay Channel. Entry in/out of the bay was prohibited unless authorized by Captain of the Port.

Wider weather episode

A strong, long-period swell from the west-northwest arrived in Southern California on December 27-28th, and persisted through the 30th. This led to the development of very large breaking wave heights, especially at the beaches of Southern California. High tides each morning also led to instances of coastal flooding, mainly on lower-lying beach boardwalks and parking lots.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1152659. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.