Capitola City Council to address 2024-2025 winter storms at Thursday’s meeting
CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Capitola City Council will be receiving a weather report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in preparation for the 2024-2025 winter storm season.
They say that the Capitola Police Department will be presenting a weather planning and coastal flood resource guide at Thursday's meeting.
"While Capitola relies on weather experts, advanced forecasting tools, and monitoring equipment, it is important to recognize that these storms remain highly dynamic that can have very localized impacts and can shift in intensity," wrote the city council in their October 24 agenda packet. "Consequently, our response plans are flexible, allowing for adjustments in real-time as conditions evolve."
The city says that they continue to work closely with NOAA, first responders (Central Fire Department, CHP, and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department) and Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience (OR3) to stay updated on weather events to deliver actionable information to the public.
"Prior experience has shown that any combination of tide/surge/swell/creek flow that exceeds levels will cause flooding to the upper 100-200 block of Riverview," the city council addressed in the Thursday agenda packet. "Any significant wave event directed at Capitola will likely send waves/surges over the seawall and potentially flood the lower Capitola Village."
Factors that the council said they'll take into consideration with the upcoming winter storm plan, include tides, storm surges, swell/surf, bathymetry (the study of underwater topography of the ocean floor) and Soquel Creek flow rates.
