This past week, California saw three huge storms roll in off the Pacific, with the third and final in the series leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. Precipitation records were shattered, rivers overflowed, the mountains received tremendous amounts of snowfall, and massive waves claimed at least four lives in the Pacific Ocean.
A woman drown in Ocean Beach, Northwest of San Diego, Sunday after losing consciousness in stormy waters. She was rescued by lifeguards after 40 minutes, but was pronounced dead on the scene.
The community of Pebble Beach in Monterey, CA, saw the deaths of two Chinese nationals, drown in stormy waters. Apparently, one of them fell into the tumultuous ocean while observing from nearby rocks. The other attempted a rescue but both were lost.
Just a few hours later, a paraglider accidentally landed in the ocean and was also lost to the sea.Â
And lastly, a man drowned while swimming near Morro Rock in Morro bay, also on Sunday.
The swell were mainly WSW and were also record breaking; A buoy off of Monterey, CA recorded a wave over 34′ tall. While some surf spots were going off, the coast was largely unrideable, particularly during Sunday’s massive storm.
These deaths are only the latest in this robust winter. Ultimately, although these deaths are tragic, the state needs storms – perhaps more than ever before in the last 1000 years. It is our collective responsibility to seek safety during extreme weather events, and to not attempt foolhardy or risky endeavors.
