The Pajaro River is seeing an increase in water levels due to the recent rainstorms. Water levels are closely monitored by the county. Pajaro River Picnic Area on Feb. 19 in Watsonville. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY >> As the drenching continues into its sixth day and severe weather advisories are issued across Santa Cruz County, local waterways are swelling from the ongoing rainfall.
As of Thursday, none of the county’s creeks or rivers are in an “action” or “flood” stage — when the water is so high flooding or evacuations are possible. But there are still several days of downpour forecast next week and water levels could soon be on the rise again.
The highest water level being reported in Santa Cruz County is the Pajaro River in Watsonville, at just over 19 feet. Levels peaked in the early morning hours Thursday, reaching 20 feet. When the Pajaro River levee failed in March 2023 and flooded the town of Pajaro, the river was higher than 30 feet.
Further up the Pajaro River near Aromas, gauges were showing 12.9 feet. Water levels started spiking on Tuesday when precipitation increased, and levels jumped multiple feet at both gauges on the Pajaro River.
Corralitos Creek peaked at 5.8 feet Thursday morning. Flood stage for Corralitos Creek starts at 11.5 feet. Residents near Corralitos Creek have been flooded during heavy rainfall over the years, often losing belongings and being temporarily displaced.
In North County, the San Lorenzo River remained well clear of risky territory peaking at around 9.5 feet in Santa Cruz and almost 10 feet near Felton. Flood stages begin at 20.6 feet and 16.5 feet in those areas, respectively.
As storm systems continue to drench the county, a cold weather advisory for all of the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz County, released by the National Weather Service warns of temperatures plunging into the low-to-mid 30s Thursday night through Saturday morning.
For the latest forecasts, visit the National Weather Service Monterey Bay Area website or call 831-656-1725 and press 1. National Weather Service staff also post weather advisories and tips on social media.
Storm resources
Flood watch
The County of Santa Cruz maintains a site called One Rain that contains real-time data on:
The U.S. Geological Survey provides Santa Cruz County waterway levels and flood data.
Emergency notifications
- The County of Santa Cruz’s CruzAware system sends emergency, weather and evacuation notices.
- Police in Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville and Scotts Valley and some fire departments send Nixle text alerts to registrants during emergencies.
- UC Santa Cruz students, faculty and staff can receive emergency alerts from campus officials in its SlugSafe system.
Evacuation information
- Santa Cruz County: Map of evacuation orders and warnings.
- Monterey County: Map of evacuation orders and warnings.
Storm preparedness
- Find a location for sandbag pickup.
- The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County offers consultations to reduce runoff and erosion.
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Nik Altenberg is a bilingual reporter and assistant editor at Santa Cruz Local. Nik Altenberg es reportera bilingüe y editora asistente para Santa Cruz Local.
