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Big River Surf Forecast
/ CAL – Mendocino County (14 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Big River surfForecast / CAL – Mendocino County / USA
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 10 am Wednesday 20 May 2026 PDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Big River surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Big River sea temperature is
9.3° C
(Which is 2.8°C colder than average for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Big River this week:
The surf forecast for Big River over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 20) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 16s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big River in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 26) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 20th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 20th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 26th May) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big River over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
NW 12 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NW 16 | NW 15 | NW 14 | WNW 13 | NW 12 | NW 7 | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | |
1801 | 931 | 1318 | 1015 | 1112 | 718 | 1088 | 869 | 606 | 284 | 258 | 258 | 376 | 496 | 540 | 640 | 1643 | 639 | 1473 | 4143 | 1979 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 4:11PM1.30m | 2:30AM1.78m | 5:11PM1.34m | 3:36AM1.59m | 6:06PM1.40m | 4:52AM1.41m | 6:55PM1.49m | 6:15AM1.25m | 7:38PM1.57m | 7:39AM1.15m | 8:16PM1.65m | 8:56AM1.11m | 8:50PM1.70m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:59AM-0.48m | 8:33PM0.83m | 9:56AM-0.36m | 9:53PM0.81m | 10:52AM-0.21m | 11:21PM0.73m | 11:48AM-0.05m | 00:45AM0.59m | 12:40PM0.12m | 1:57AM0.41m | 1:28PM0.27m | 2:55AM0.22m | 2:12PM0.42m | 3:43AM0.05m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — |
 | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:30 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
9 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | WNW 12 | SW 15 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | NW 10 |
 kJ | 224 | 429 | 112 | 1015 | 1112 | 718 | 1088 | 869 | 606 | 284 | 182 | 105 | 96 | 171 | 270 | 640 | 453 | 459 | 348 | 353 | 1979 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | SW 16 | S 14 | NNW 9 | NW 9 | WNW 10 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 15 | NW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NW 16 | NW 15 | NW 14 | SSW 15 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 61 | 89 | 57 | 94 | 41 | 294 | 154 | 154 | 109 | 142 | 122 | 117 | 376 | 496 | 540 | 353 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 348 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | S 14 | S 14 | SW 19 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | NW 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 9 | NW 10 | SSW 15 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | — | — | S 11 |
| kJ | 65 | 58 | 57 | 303 | 113 | 116 | 109 | 109 | 60 | 201 | 258 | 258 | 108 | 96 | 191 | 21 | 20 | 8 | — | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 12 | NW 9 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | NW 12 | NW 7 | NW 9 | NW 10 | — |
| kJ | 1801 | 931 | 1318 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 221 | 1643 | 639 | 1473 | 4143 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 111 | 29 | 0 | 111 | 19 | 0 | 57 | 39 | 19 | 57 | 155 | 0 | 202 | 82 | 0 | 160 | 277 | 59 | 129 | 183 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Mendocino County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Big River surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Big River Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Big River provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Big River can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Big River surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Big River) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Big River may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Big River is 54 km (34 miles) from Ukiah. If you plan a vacation in Mendocino County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ukiah. Ukiah has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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