Santa Cruz wind forecast: Bay Area storm brings big waves, power outages and downed trees to coastal city

SANTA CRUZ, CA (KGO) — The latest storm to hit the Bay Area brought destructive winds to our coastline, especially in Santa Cruz. There were wind warnings up to 80 mph on Tuesday, but that didn’t stop people from coming to see Mother Nature’s show.

The winds completely ripped the Santa Cruz coast at West Cliff. Street signs were shaking, trees were shaking, and birds were flying almost motionless.

It was a sight for tourists everywhere. But if you are forced to stare at the incredible waves for too long, you will get a sharp taste of salt water.

“It’s crazy to look at the waves because they are so big,” said Alturas resident Haile Markussen.

Live Storm Updates: Over 184K Bay Area Customers Without Electricity, PG&E says

“They’re pretty cool when they hit the rock and the spray comes back at you,” says Modesto resident Alexandria Cassagio. “It’s like Disneyland with Splash Mountain, but with the ocean.”

“The feeling is invigorating and invigorating,” said Modesto resident Elizabeth Cassagio. “Here you have great respect for Mother Nature. If it’s calm here, I wouldn’t want to be on a boat there.”

By noon, the reverence on the coast was quickly replaced by restlessness.

Santa Cruz came under a thunderstorm warning due to damaging winds up to 80 mph. Santa Cruz County officials are concerned about the damage this could cause.

JANUARY STORM: Here’s a look at the hardest hit areas in the Capitol, Santa Cruz, before and after.

“That’s what worries us the most because we have saturated soil all over the county, it knocks down trees and destroys roads,” said Jason Hoppin, Santa Cruz County Public Information Officer. “And when trees fall, it cuts wires and causes power outages.”

Power went out in the vicinity of Natural Bridges State Park. Sometime in the afternoon PG&E’s power outage maps showed hundreds to thousands of people without power in Santa Cruz.

The fear of falling trees also proved to be justified.

Gregory Griffin was not at all surprised when he returned home to find a massive cypress tree below. One side of the road was completely closed to oncoming traffic.

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Griffin watched as a second tree collapsed moments later, crushing the Prius and injuring the driver inside.

“I’m grateful that things went the way they did,” Griffin said. “Because when we first pulled up, we thought, ‘Oh my God.’ Now we are safe. the roots were uplifting, the earth was moving like that. And besides, he’s lucky he’s alive. Because this car is pretty beat up.”

We are happy to report that the driver was able to get away from the scene, but that does not detract from the severity of these winds.

The sights are incredible to see. But until everything settles down, it is better not to come to the coast for the sake of your own safety.

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