California, 2009High Surf in California, November 26 to 27, 2009
November 26 to 27, 2009 · NWS MTR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Large swells began to affect the coast on Thanksgiving Day causing the surf to increase through Saturday. Wave heights at the beaches of 14 to 18 feet accompany these large swells.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Large swells began to affect the coast on Thanksgiving Day causing the surf to increase through Saturday. Wave heights at the beaches of 14 to 18 feet accompany these large swells.
High Surf, Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore
- When
- November 26, 10:30 AM PST to 1:30 PM PST
- Where
- Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 38.290, -122.835 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Choppy sea conditions and foggy weather were blamed for causing a wooden-hulled 20-foot boat to capsize near Bodega Bay. An elderly husband and wife team had launched their motorized boat near Salmon Creek around 6:30 in the morning. Several hours later their bodies were discovered, one near the broken bow of their boat, the other about one mile south of Salmon Creek.
High Surf, San Francisco Peninsula Coast
- When
- November 27, 4:25 PM PST to 5:45 PM PST
- Where
- San Francisco Peninsula Coast forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 37.229, -122.183 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A sailboat in rough waters just south of Pillar Point capsized causing two men to enter the ocean. One man was rescued quickly while the other was not removed from the water until an hour after the mishap. He was pronounced dead by local paramedics.
- High Surf
- Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 201673, 201674.