Weather news
25 to 40 foot surf hits parts of the West Coast tonight into Sunday morning
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: The West Coast from the Northern Washington Coast down to the Santa Barbara County Central Coast beaches.
- When: Tonight through Saturday, with warnings from Del Norte County to Big Sur lasting until 4 AM PST Sunday.
- How big: 30 to 35 feet on the Washington and Oregon coasts, 30 to 40 feet from Del Norte to Mendocino County, and 25 to 35 feet from the North Bay coast to Big Sur.
- What it means: Stay off jetties and rocks this weekend.
Breakers of 25 to 40 feet are hitting parts of the West Coast tonight, with occasional sets of 40 to 50 feet possible at favored breakpoints from the North Bay coast to Big Sur. High Surf Warnings are up for all 19 coastal zones from the Northern Washington Coast to the Santa Barbara County Central Coast beaches. The warnings run until noon PST Saturday on the Washington and Oregon coasts, and until 4 AM PST Sunday, Nov. 15, from Del Norte County to Big Sur. The largest possible sets are roughly as tall as a five-story building.
Breakers of 30 to 40 feet from Washington to California
This event spans 19 coastal zones from northern Washington to Santa Barbara County. The map shows the swell field around 4 to 9 PM Pacific tonight.
Here is how it breaks down by stretch of coast:
- Washington and Oregon: Breakers of 30 to 35 feet, with the warning lasting until noon PST Saturday. The southern Oregon coast peaks at 30 to 35 feet through Saturday morning.
- Northern California (Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties): Breakers of 30 to 40 feet, with the warning lasting until 4 AM PST Sunday.
- San Francisco area to Big Sur: Breakers of 25 to 35 feet from the North Bay coast down to Big Sur. Occasional sets of 40 to 50 feet are possible at favored breakpoints, also until 4 AM PST Sunday.
Those occasional sets of 40 to 50 feet are possible only at favored breakpoints from the North Bay coast to Big Sur.
Rain and snow are hitting inland
Rain and snow are also affecting parts of California. A cold front moved through northern and central California today, and a Flood Advisory covers parts of Placer, Sacramento, Amador, El Dorado and Nevada counties until 7 PM PST tonight for urban and small stream flooding.
In the Sierra, a Winter Storm Warning runs until 10 AM PST Saturday for the Lake Tahoe area and Mono County. Tahoe could see:
- Heavy, wet snow, near 12 inches above 7,000 feet and up to 20 inches along the crest west of the lake.
- Gusts of 45 to 55 mph in Truckee and the Lake Tahoe communities, and 70 to 90 mph over the ridges.
Mono County could see 1 to 2 feet of snow above 7,000 feet, with gusts of 55 to 70 mph along Highway 395.
On Saturday, another round of rain moves into northwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula. A Level 1 of 4 (Marginal) flash flood risk is up there, with 1 to 3 inches of additional rain possible, locally more. That could push some rivers out of their banks. You can check every active alert on our warnings page.
What to do
- Stay off jetties and rocks this weekend.
- Heading to the Sierra this weekend? Heavy wet snow and strong winds are expected near Tahoe and in Mono County through 10 AM PST Saturday. You can follow the snow forecasts for more.
How sure are we?
The warnings are in effect now for all 19 zones. Occasional sets of 40 to 50 feet are possible at favored breakpoints from the North Bay coast to Big Sur. Other forecast ranges are 30 to 35 feet on the Washington and Oregon coasts, 30 to 40 feet in northern California, and 25 to 35 feet from the North Bay coast to Big Sur.
Bottom line
High Surf Warnings span 19 coastal zones from northern Washington to Santa Barbara County, with breakers of 25 to 40 feet on the stretches detailed above and occasional sets up to 50 feet from the North Bay coast to Big Sur. Stay off jetties and rocks this weekend. The warnings last until noon PST Saturday on the Washington and Oregon coasts and until 4 AM PST Sunday from Del Norte County to Big Sur.
| Coast | Breakers (ft) | Warning runs until |
|---|---|---|
| Washington and Oregon coasts | 30-35 | Noon PST Saturday |
| Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino coasts | 30-40 | 4 AM PST Sunday |
| North Bay coast to Big Sur | 25-35, occasional sets of 40-50 | 4 AM PST Sunday |
More on November 2026 weather
Sources
- GFS, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction