Special Marine Warning Issued for Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands
This alert is no longer in effect.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 the Santa Barbara Channel and surrounding waters due to severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Southern California Coastal Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
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 Southern California Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard CA has issued a Special Marine Warning (SMWLOX). This alert is effective immediately following radar detection of severe weather conditions in the coastal waters.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- East Santa Barbara Channel: From Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu, including Santa Cruz Island.
- Outer Waters: From Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore, including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands.
- Coastal Waters: From Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island and westward 60 nm, including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands.
Specific land-adjacent locations impacted include Point Arguello, Point Conception, San Miguel Island, and Santa Rosa Island.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas are advised to move to safe harbor immediately. Stay in port or find a protected area until the hazardous weather conditions have passed. Waterspouts can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas, while small craft could be damaged by sudden high winds and waves.
Expected Conditions
According to NWS radar at 11:10 AM PST, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 8 nm north of Point Arguello to 20 nm southwest of San Miguel Island.
- Hazards: Waterspouts and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 knots.
- Movement: The storm line is moving east at 20 knots.
- Impact: Potential for suddenly higher waves and damaged small craft.
Timeline
The alert was issued at 11:11 AM PST on February 16, 2026. The warning is currently scheduled to remain in effect until 12:00 PM PST.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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