Marine Strong Wind · Eastern Pacific

Gale force winds behind a strong cold front swept across the entire coastal waters off San Diego County. At the peak, winds were sustained 43 mph with gusts to 52 mph at San Clemente Island. Elswhere, the San Clemente Basin Buoy measured a sustained wind of 40 mph with gusts to 47 mph. Similar wind speeds were observed along the coast as well, including several wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. The gale generated large, short period waves that resulted in very hazardous boating conditions. The most extreme example of this was at Newport Beach where 10-12 foot waves were observed with a 3 second period. Further south, the Oceanside Harbor entrance buoy reported a 16 foot wave with a 9 second period. No reports of significant damage have been received at this time, which may indicate that mariners heeded the warning and remained in harbor.