The winter of 1982-83 remains one of the most destructive chapters in California coastal history — a season of towering surf, flooded streets, collapsing piers, epic waves for some, and beaches disappearing almost overnight.
The culprit was an exceptionally powerful El Niño. Elevated ocean levels combined with a relentless succession of Pacific storms, high tides and enormous waves. Between January and March 1983 alone, eight major storms struck California’s coast, often with the largest surf arriving near high tide.
The results were staggering. In the video below, we take a walk down memory lane at that historic meteorological event, and what it could mean for this year’s Super El Niño.
According to the California Coastal Commission, 33 oceanfront homes were destroyed, while roughly 3,000 homes and 900 coastal businesses were damaged by storm surge, waves and erosion. Statewide coastal damage was estimated at about $100 million at the time — roughly $300 million in 2023 dollars.
Piers took some of the most spectacular punishment. Storms ripped apart sections of the Santa Monica Pier; one storm destroyed part of the structure along with equipment being used for repairs. Huntington Beach and Seal Beach piers also suffered extensive damage, while San Clemente lost roughly 300 feet from the end of its pier during a March storm.
Surfer Skip Frye later remembered waves pushing seawater into San Diego streets.
“I looked up and I saw this wall of water coming down the street.”
He also recalled cars moving, boulders being thrown ashore and Crystal Pier taking a beating.
Now, more than four decades later, California has reason to revisit those images.
The 2026-27 El Niño is strengthening, and the California Coastal Commission says there is a strong possibility it could become historically strong — even a “super” El Niño. NOAA’s experimental September forecast similarly shows high confidence in an exceptionally powerful event developing later this fall and winter.
That doesn’t guarantee a repeat of 1983. El Niño impacts depend heavily on whether big surf, high tides, heavy rain and storm surge arrive together.
But if they do, California already has a blueprint for what can happen.
And it isn’t pretty.
Related: What Is a Kelvin Wave? And What Does It Mean for California Surf?
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