At least one person was killed due to dangerous beach conditions including high surf and coastal flooding on Monday, December 23, according to local reports. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of “dangerous and life-threatening beach conditions” with “very high surf, rip currents, sneaker waves, and coastal flooding” through to Tuesday for all beaches along the Pacific Coast. A man in Santa Cruz was killed after getting trapped under debris washed up by a large wave, according to KION546, citing the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. “People are losing their lives along the coast today. Stay away from the water, the people tasked with saving you could lose their lives too,” the NWS said. The California Highway Patrol urged Santa Cruz residents to “keep your distance from the coast for the time being” and to drive with caution. The NWS said that in addition to the high surf at the coast, significant rainfall was expected to affect the area through to Tuesday morning. This footage was captured by Shreenivasan Manievannan, who told Storyful that it was recorded near Walton Lighthouse in Santa Cruz. Credit: Shreenivasan Manievannan via Storyful
