Special Marine Warning Issued for Central California Coastal Waters Through 6:30 PM PST
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for coastal waters from Point Piedras Blancas to Santa Cruz Island due to severe thunderstorms and potential waterspouts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Central California Coastal Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard
Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Central California Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard has issued a Special Marine Warning for the coastal waters of Central California. The alert was issued at 5:06 PM PST on February 17, 2026, following radar detection of severe thunderstorms moving east at 55 knots.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions:
- Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal westward out to 10 NM
- Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal from 10 to 60 NM
- Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island CA and westward 60 NM, including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
- Specific impacted locations include Cambria and Morro Bay.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas should take immediate action. Seek safe harbor immediately. Thunderstorms can produce sudden waterspouts which can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas. Small craft could capsize in suddenly higher waves, and boats could suffer significant structural damage in high winds.
Expected Conditions
- Hazards: Waterspouts and wind gusts in excess of 50 knots.
- Storm Movement: Severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Point Piedras Blancas to near Point Sal, moving east at 55 knots.
- Impact: Potential for overturned vessels, structural damage to boats, and hazardous sea conditions.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is scheduled to expire at 6:30 PM PST on February 17, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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