Weather along Northwest Pacific Coast during September/October

[CH_ca]

Hi, I know that weather can be unpredictable but I'd like to know the experience from those who cruised along the Vancouver-San Diego coast during Sep/Oct months. How rough is the sea and how chilly is the temperature? I assume the weather will get warmer as we sail down south?  Can anyone shed some lights? Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

There is a thread on this exact topic on the Northwest Coastal board.

[CH_ca]

12 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

There is a thread on this exact topic on the Northwest Coastal board.

Thanks. I'll look through the posts. CC's search engine is not exactly very smart. 😄 Sometimes searching on Google with the keywords "Cruise Critic" could give you a better answer. I'm interested specifically in HAL's ships' rockiness cruising the Northwest Coast. So could anyone who cruised this itinerary during Autumn tell me their experience? Thanks!❤️

[Sharon in AZ]

We were on the Koningsdam 3 years ago in October and the weather in port was very nice. However, we did experience some rougher seas between Catalina Island and San Francisco. Even the outside promenade was closed because of the wind and seas. It did not impact our enjoyment of the cruise and I didn’t feel seasick (I susceptible to seasickness). 

[CruiserBruce]

24 minutes ago, CH_ca said:

Thanks. I'll look through the posts. CC's search engine is not exactly very smart. 😄 Sometimes searching on Google with the keywords "Cruise Critic" could give you a better answer. I'm interested specifically in HAL's ships' rockiness cruising the Northwest Coast. So could anyone who cruised this itinerary during Autumn tell me their experience? Thanks!❤️

Seas can be rocky anywhere, any time. And its not predictable more than a few days in advance. Its just a fact of sailing on the ocean.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

We sailed Alaska to San Francisco in September.  I don't recall the seas being all that rough.  It's usually rougher going north rather than south.  We had nice weather except for fog at SF that kept us off shore for several hours making us late to debark.  Nice means not much rain, but nobody was laying out by the pool or drinking umbrella drinks on deck.  

[igraf]

35 minutes ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

We sailed Alaska to San Francisco in September.  I don't recall the seas being all that rough.  It's usually rougher going north rather than south.  ... 

 

I was going to say the same thing.  A combination of currents and swells (and possibly the sailing season) favor the southbound Pacific coastal cruises.  We have personally noticed the difference between northbound vs southbound, with the southbound being smoother.

 

igraf

 

 

[CH_ca]

So going northbound in the Spring is rougher than going southbound in the Fall?

[CruiserBruce]

9 minutes ago, CH_ca said:

So going northbound in the Spring is rougher than going southbound in the Fall?

It can be. 

[cccole]

We live in Southern California and travel north and south.  In my opinion September and October are the best months on the west coast, Seattle to Los Angeles.  I wouldn't even consider a spring cruise on the west coast...burrrrrrrr.  JMO. Cherie 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

3 hours ago, CH_ca said:

So going northbound in the Spring is rougher than going southbound in the Fall?

Northbound anytime is rougher than southbound.  

[AKJonesy]

Look at windalert.com and windy.com.  On windalert, go to LIVE WIND and then you have to pull in or push out the image until you can see the part of the world you want to look at.  On the coast, you will often see the high wind areas.  Wind creates waves.  I have been on the Pacific Coastal trip twice in the fall and am going again in October.  Once we popped out into the Pacific after leaving Vancouver, the wind was pretty strong and the waves were a little high, but on both trips we had some areas of higher winds and then calm winds.  Even though I can tend to get a little green in the gills with movement, I was fine on both trips.  Of course, stateroom location helps also to minimize movement.  I think these two web sites will help you get an idea.  

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

4 hours ago, AKJonesy said:

Look at windalert.com and windy.com.  On windalert, go to LIVE WIND and then you have to pull in or push out the image until you can see the part of the world you want to look at.  

Nice, is there anything we can't find on the internet?  Do you know George Taylor?  He lived in Wasilla for awhile and his retirement job was chasing birds off the airport runway.  

[AKJonesy]

22 minutes ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Nice, is there anything we can't find on the internet?  Do you know George Taylor?  He lived in Wasilla for awhile and his retirement job was chasing birds off the airport runway.  

No...name is not familiar but then I could be somewhere in another part of the world and run into someone I know.  Go figure.