Special Marine Warning Issued for Southern California Coastal Waters Through Monday Morning
This alert is no longer in effect.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 between Point Piedras Blancas and Point Mugu, warning of potential waterspouts and 50-knot wind gusts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Southern and 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 Southern and Central California Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard CA has issued a Special Marine Warning for multiple maritime zones off the coast of Southern and Central California. The alert was triggered by radar-indicated showers capable of producing hazardous conditions.
Affected Areas
The warning covers a broad range of coastal and outer waters, including:
- East Santa Barbara Channel: From Pt. Conception to Pt. Mugu, including Santa Cruz Island.
- Outer Waters: From Santa Cruz Island to San Clemente Island (up to 60 NM offshore), including San Nicolas and Santa Barbara Islands.
- Central Coast Waters: Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal, extending from the shoreline out to 60 NM.
- Channel Islands Region: Waters from Pt. Sal to Santa Cruz Island, including San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands.
Specific land-adjacent locations impacted include Point Arguello, Point Conception, Point Sal, Morro Bay, Cambria, and San Miguel Island.
What You Should Do
Mariners are advised to take the following precautions:
- Report any sightings of severe weather or waterspouts to the Coast Guard or the National Weather Service.
- Small craft should exercise extreme caution or seek safe harbor, as briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves can cause significant damage.
Expected Conditions
As of 5:12 AM PST, radar tracked a line of showers capable of producing waterspouts. This line extended from 14 nm southwest of Point Piedras Blancas to 40 nm southwest of San Miguel Island, moving north to northeast at 35 knots.
- Hazards: Waterspouts and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 knots.
- Impacts: Waterspouts can create locally hazardous seas. Small craft could be damaged by sudden wind increases and rapidly building waves.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 5:13 AM PST and is currently set to expire at 7:15 AM PST on Monday, February 16, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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