High Surf — San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

2020-12-08 · San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

Event narrative

The buoy at Half Moon Bay reported swells of 15 to 20 feet at periods of 17 to 19 seconds.

Wider weather episode

A very large long period northwest swell train arrived in early December to the coastline with buoys reporting swells in excess of 20 feet. Mavericks saw breaking waves in the surf zone of approximately 40 feet. Large powerful waves knocked boats loose and damaged docks near Santa Cruz. Multiple water rescues were reported up and down the coast with one assumed fatality.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 927851. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.