High wave warnings remain in place for parts of California as ocean conditions remain calm

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) – Southern CaliforniaVentura County issued a temporary evacuation warning Saturday for some coastal residents high surf A storm hit the west coast this week but is now starting to calm down.

County officials warned that powerful waves as high as 20 feet (6 meters) were expected near a section of Pacific Coast Highway, and the fire department asked people to avoid coastal areas. Officials lifted the evacuation warning in the afternoon.

People who gathered in the morning at Pierpont Beach in downtown Ventura to watch the rising water were warned not to venture beyond the larger beach. piles of sand These were deployed on Friday to protect coastal homes and authorities closed some roads.

Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder called this week’s surf an “extraordinary event”, the likes of which he had never seen before in his 14 years living in the city.

Fire department spokesman Andy VanSciver said there were no reports of damage or injuries Saturday, but evacuation warnings would remain in place until the waves subside. Earlier in the week, authorities had rescued eight people who were injured by the waves.

Elsewhere along the California coast, flooding caused the closure of some roads and bike paths. A high wave warning in the San Francisco Bay Area was downgraded to an advisory, the National Weather Service said, as wave heights declined.

Some surfers took advantage of the waves at Seal Beach, a small town about 30 miles (45 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.

Miles Malohan, 23, of Irvine, who has been surfing for about a decade, said it was one of the biggest winter waves he’s seen in years.

“It was very busy for some of the waves there,” Malohan said. “You have to be really selective about who you ride so that you don’t get hurt or really put yourself at a disadvantage.”

Austin reported from Sacramento, and AP photographer Damien Dovargnes in Seal Beach, California, contributed. Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. report for usa is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @sophieadanna

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