January 2023 Bomb Cyclone Swells - La Jolla

La Jolla got some of the biggest waves it has seen in decades thanks to a cyclone that quickly grew to immense strengths through a process called ‘bombogenesis’. The media’s coverage of the build up caused some frenzy! People get pretty freaked out when they hear ‘cyclone’ and bomb’ together in the same sentence on the San Diego news, and it’s hard to blame them. Not to say they can’t cause damage though, waves did creep up above protective walls down here in southern California, but most of the havoc was caused further north. Pier infrastructure was damaged and even destroyed, lots of regions flooded, as well as some casualties. Storms like these usually quite literally run out of steam as they travel down the coast, so it’s no shock to local meteorologists that we were mostly safe! Enjoy these powerful waves filled with loads of texture while wildlife come out in droves to capitalize on the calamity!