Special Marine Warning Issued for Southern California Coastal Waters and 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This alert is no longer in effect.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 through 10:15 AM PST due to potential waterspouts and 50-knot wind gusts.
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 for coastal waters in Southern California. The alert was issued at 9:14 AM PST following radar detection of severe weather conditions.
Affected Areas
The warning encompasses the following maritime regions:
- East Santa Barbara Channel: From Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu, including Santa Cruz Island.
- Inner Waters: From Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt., including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands.
- Outer Waters: From Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island to 60 NM offshore, including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands.
Specific locations impacted include Anacapa Island, Rincon Point, and Ventura Harbor.
What You Should Do
Mariners are advised to take immediate safety precautions:
- Move to safe harbor until the hazardous weather conditions have passed.
- Small craft should be secured, as they could be damaged by sudden high winds and waves.
- Report any severe weather observations to the Coast Guard or the National Weather Service.
Expected Conditions
At 9:14 AM PST, radar indicated severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts. The storm line extended from 8 nautical miles west of Rincon Point to near Anacapa Island, moving east at 20 knots.
- Hazards: Potential waterspouts and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 knots.
- Impact: Waterspouts have the potential to easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas. Mariners should expect briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
- Alert Issued: February 16, 2026, at 9:14 AM PST
- Effective Period: Immediate
- Expiration: February 16, 2026, at 10:15 AM PST
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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