The biggest waves in more than a decade just tore through California's coastline, shredding a newly rebuilt pier and flooding streets—while the pumps meant to protect residents sat broken and useless.
The Bay Area got hammered Saturday with swells measuring up to 31 feet at the Point Reyes buoy, the second-largest readings in three decades of records, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Only December 2015 saw bigger waves, and by less than a foot. The result: seawalls overtopped, streets turned to rivers, and an evacuation warning forced Capitola residents out of their homes.
Video obtained by KSBW and reported by the New York Post captured the moment a wave slammed into the Capitola Wharf around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, shredding its railing. That same wharf had just undergone more than $8 million in reconstruction after severe storms in 2023. It reopened in 2024. Now it's damaged again, and it's unclear whether it will need still more repairs.
In Pacifica, the scene was worse. The Chronicle reported waves
