High Surf — Redwood Coast, California

2009-12-08 to 2009-12-09 · Redwood Coast, California

Event narrative

A fisherman drowned when his small fishing vessel was capsized by the set behavior of long period waves. The hazard was enhanced by the shoaling of these waves as they entered the shallow water that the vessel was operating in. The waves were 12.5 feet high with a period of 20 seconds.

Wider weather episode

Distant storms produced very long period waves on the northern California coast. These waves produced a near-shore marine hazard due to the shoaling and set behavior of long period waves.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 260808. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.