Before-and-after photos show damage to Capitola after California storm – SF GATE

Storm damage in Capitola Village © 2023 Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel

One of California’s prettiest little beach towns is in for a long recovery after brutal surf and whipping winds tore apart its picturesque village.

Capitola was hit hard last week by what meteorologists called a “bomb cyclone” storm. Waves were so intense that its historic wharf broke in half, and Capitola’s photogenic downtown was flooded with debris. Along with water damage, businesses and homes must contend with all manner of flotsam and jetsam that now litter the waterfront…

Coastal California is Ravaged by Multiple Atmospheric Rivers

An atmospheric river interacting with an area of low pressure is bringing heavy rain to California. (Image credit: NOAA via SPACE.com)

People tend to have a short disaster memory…What this storm is telling us is it’s time to think a little more long-term and make some decisions…We’ve been Band-Aiding things together for a long time.” – Gary Griggs

Gallery images courtesy of Shmuel Thaler / Santa Cruz Sentinel, Kim Steinhardt, and Gary Griggs

Major flooding in Santa Cruz Mountains as atmospheric river storm pounds Bay Area – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Storm drenches Santa Cruz County creating flooding, slides, slip outs, downed trees and wire © Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel

San Lorenzo River hits second-highest level in 85 years, as Bay Area is soaked with another storm

The fifth atmospheric river storm in 10 days, an onslaught of soaking weather that has drenched Northern California since New Year’s Eve, hit hard again Monday, causing major flooding near Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains, submerging Highway 101 near Gilroy and sending creeks and rivers to the tops of their banks…

Battered coastline, flooding rivers trap residents, bring misery in Santa Cruz County – Los Angeles Times

Powerful storm waves roll into Seacliff State Beach on Thursday between the Cement Ship and the heavily damaged pier © 2023 Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel

On Monday, as huge swaths of Central and Northern California were still assessing damage from a quick succession of storms last week, another winter rain pelted the region, triggering floods that claimed the life of a motorist and swept away a 5-year-old boy who was trying to cross a road with his mother. Conditions were so unsafe Monday afternoon that officials called off the search for the boy…

Battered by Storms, California Coastal Towns Prepare for Another Deluge – New York Times

Partial Pier Failure at Concrete Ship © 2023 Kim Steinhardt

Hundreds of homes in the Santa Cruz region were damaged by flooding and wind. Weary residents are steeling themselves for even worse conditions this week.

A barrage of powerful storms has surprised residents across Northern California with an unrelenting period of extreme weather stretching over weeks, with only small intervals of dryness. These storms have toppled trees…