California, 2025High Surf in California, November 14 to 16, 2025
November 14 to 16, 2025 · NWS MTR · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Two people died after a family of four was swept out to sea at Garrapata Beach on November 14th by a wave estimated at 15 to 20 feet high. An off-duty state park lifeguard noticed the family in distress around 12:50 PM, and pulled a father and mother towards shore.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Two people died after a family of four was swept out to sea at Garrapata Beach on November 14th by a wave estimated at 15 to 20 feet high. An off-duty state park lifeguard noticed the family in distress around 12:50 PM, and pulled a father and mother towards shore. A seven-year old girl, the daughter of the couple, was swept away. The father received CPR and was sent to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The mother was also transported to a hospital and had signs of hypothermia. The search for the 7-year girl continued into the following weekend, and she was eventually found 100 yards offshore at around 1:25 PM on Sunday. At the time of the incident, an offshore buoy (46239) reported a water temperature of 59 degrees and waves of 13.7 feet from the west-northwest at a dominant period of 14 seconds.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 13, 3:31 PM PST, 21 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 13, 3:31 PM PST, 21 hours 19 minutes before
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</html>High Surf, Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast
- When
- November 14, 12:50 PM PST to November 16, 1:25 PM PST
- Where
- Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 36.240, -121.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Two people died after a family of four was swept out to sea at Garrapata Beach on November 14th by a wave estimated at 15 to 20 feet high. An off-duty state park lifeguard noticed the family in distress around 12:50 PM, and pulled a father and mother towards shore. A seven-year old girl, the daughter of the couple, was swept away. The father received CPR and was sent to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The mother was also transported to a hospital and had signs of hypothermia. The search for the 7-year girl continued into the following weekend, and she was eventually found 100 yards offshore at around 1:25 PM on Sunday. At the time of the incident, an offshore buoy (46239) reported a water temperature of 59 degrees and waves of 13.7 feet from the west-northwest at a dominant period of 14 seconds.
- 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1294924.