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Shaded-relief map of Eureka, California: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
CALIFORNIA · HUMBOLDT COUNTY

Eureka

25,412 people, 50 ft above sea level in Humboldt County.

50 ftElevation, city center
25,412People, 2024 estimate
10 sq miLand area
Sunny 58°
Sunny now Dew point 49° · SE 12 mph · high 60°
City of Eureka River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Eureka plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Eureka

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 10:00 AM PST
RIGHT NOW Arcata Airport (KACV) · 10:53 AM
Sunny
58° Sunny Feels like 58° · high of 60° near 2 PM
WindSE 12 mphno gusts
Humidity72%falling to 65% this afternoon
Pressure29.89 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 49° · Dry38° by Tuesday: drier air arrives
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Tonight, about 10 PMin about 11 hours · 100% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 90.32 in · 5 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! High Surf WarningHigh Surf Warning issued November 14 at 9:40AM PST until November 15 at 4:00AM PST by NWS Eureka CA
! High Surf WarningHigh Surf Warning issued November 14 at 9:40AM PST until November 15 at 4:00AM PST by NWS Eureka CA
NWS Eureka and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 11:15 AM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:02 AM4:59 PM ↓
9 h 57 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
7
GOODAir quality index · coarse particles
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
windy
windy
windy
windy
rain
rain
rain
rain
showers day
showers day
showers night
showers night
showers night
showers night
showers night
showers day
showers day
showers day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
56°
51°
56°
44°
54°
38°
CHANCE OF RAIN
100% · 1.58 in Sunday overnight 50%
WIND, MPH
21
23
22
22
17
10
7
7
9
8
8
9
8
7
7
8
5
3
3
4
5
5
7
8
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 38 to 53°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 59° / 42°
SAT Nov. 14 Chance of showers Chance of showers
60° 49°
50% rain — S 22, gusts 35 A
SUN Nov. 15 Showers likely Showers likely
57° 41°
100% rain 0.8–1.8″ SSW 8, gusts 29 B
MON Nov. 16 Showers likely Showers likely
54° 35°
90% rain 0.2–0.5″ SSE 5 B
TUE Nov. 17 Showers likely Showers likely
55° 40°
100% rain 0.9–1.5″ S 20, gusts 28 A
WED Nov. 18 Showers likely Showers likely
51° 37°
100% rain 0.6–1.6″ SSE 18 B
THU Nov. 19 Chance of showers Chance of showers
55° 36°
50% rain up to 0.3″ N 10 C
FRI Nov. 20 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 38°
20% rain — S 3 B
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Eureka about 5,000 feet above the ground was over southern California three days ago, and over the California coast a day ago, about 620 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It came down from about 11,500 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the California coast; at 10,000 feet, from the desert Southwest. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1984 Nov. 11–12, 1984

The wettest two days this week has seen

3.75 inches of rain fell in two days, the most for this week of the year since records began in 1886. The next wettest, 3.59 inches, fell in 1900.

3.59″
3.75″
19001984
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Eureka Area threaded record since 1886.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Eureka stands on

Eureka’s center stands about 50 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 230 ft, a difference of 230 ft: rolling country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Ashfield Butte, about 3,120 ft, 14 miles east-southeast.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Older Quaternary alluvium and marine deposits (coarse-detrital), from the Pleistocene, less than 2.6 million years old.

The section below crosses 5 rock units mapped at the surface.

Eureka, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft1,000 ft2,000 ft EUREKA50 ftMyrtletown100 ftPidgeon Point260 ftHigh point of the line2,640 ft ← NWSE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 7×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Older Quaternary alluvium and marine deposits

Coarse-detrital. Age: Pleistocene, less than 2.6 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Franciscan Complex, unit 1 (Coast Ranges)

Sandstone, mudstone. Age: Jurassic to Cretaceous, 66 to 202 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Pliocene marine rocks

Sandstone, mudstone. Age: Miocene to Pleistocene, less than 23 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Quaternary alluvium and marine deposits

Coarse-detrital. Age: Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 2.6 million years old. About 0.8 mi of the line.

Quaternary sand deposits, unit 1 (coastal)

Sand. Age: Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old. About 0.5 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Eureka’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Eureka reaches the Pacific Ocean by way of Eureka Slough: about 1 river miles.

FROM THE CENTER OF EUREKA < 2 mi to the Pacific Ocean Eureka Slough

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Eureka; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Eureka’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1886 · Eureka Wfo Woodley Island

Eureka has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. Summer afternoons average 64° in August; winter nights fall to about 40° in December. About 40 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

55°41°55°41°56°42°57°44°60°48°62°50°63°52°64°53°64°51°62°47°58°43°55°40° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY EUREKA 40.4 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month
August, average64° / 53°high / low, the warmest month
December, average55° / 40°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year40.4 inwettest months: December and January
Hottest on record87°FSeptember 28, 2020
Coldest on record20°FJanuary 14, 1888
Wettest day on record6.79 inDecember 27, 2002
Snowiest day on record3.4 inJanuary 13, 1907
Nights at or below 32°8a year, on average
Climate typeWarm-summer MediterraneanKöppen Csb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Dec. 4, to the last in spring, about Feb. 26 (median dates)
2Wettest stretchDecember through February: 20.4 of the year’s 40.4 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Eureka normally reaches 58° and falls to 44°. The record high is 71°, in 1970; the record low 31°, in 1978. The most rain on this date, 2.42 in, fell in 1934.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high55°55°56°57°60°62°63°64°64°62°58°55°
Normal low41°41°42°44°48°50°52°53°51°47°43°40°
Rain, inches6.675.645.753.641.660.700.180.180.682.314.898.10
Record high78° (1986)85° (1930)78° (1930)80° (1989)84° (1939)85° (2019)77° (2015)82° (1991)87° (2020)87° (1993)81° (1904)77° (1963)
Record low20° (1888)24° (1899)29° (1917)31° (1895)35° (2010)40° (2003)43° (1887)44° (1935)36° (1895)32° (1971)27° (1896)21° (1972)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1886 from the Eureka Area threaded record (Eureka Wfo Woodley Island, here). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Eureka on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Arcata CA · 6 MI 6 miles northeast McKinleyville CA · 11 MI 11 miles north Redding CA · 95 MI 95 miles east Chico CA · 143 MI 143 miles southeast Yuba City CA · 176 MI 176 miles southeast Santa Rosa CA · 180 MI 180 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Eureka, California. Explore the plate
CALIFORNIA · HUMBOLDT

Eureka

25,412 people, 50 ft above sea level in Humboldt County.

50 ftElevation
25,412People
10 sq miLand
Sunny 58°
SunnyDew point 49°
1

Today in Eureka

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now partly cloudy day 56° 2%
2p windy 60° 1%
5p windy 58° 2%
8p windy 56° 12%
11p rain 53° 52%
2a rain 52° 100%
Rain
NEXT RAINTonight about 10 PM · 100%
→
Sat50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
49
60
A
Sun100%
Showers likely Showers likely
41
57
B
Mon90%
Showers likely Showers likely
35
54
B
Tue100%
Showers likely Showers likely
40
55
A
Wed100%
Showers likely Showers likely
37
51
B
Thu50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
36
55
C
Fri20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
38
56
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1984 · NOV. 11–12, 1984

3.75 inches in two days, the most for this week since 1886.

2

What Eureka stands on

Eureka’s center stands about 50 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 230 ft, a difference of 230 ft: rolling country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Ashfield Butte, about 3,120 ft, 14 miles east-southeast.

Eureka, northwest to southeast Eureka50 ftPidgeon Point260 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 14×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center50 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 230 ft
Lie of the landRolling (230 ft of relief)
High point nearbyAshfield Butte, 3,120 ft, 14 mi east-southeast
Rock at the surfaceOlder Quaternary alluvium and marine deposits
Its agePleistocene, less than 2.6 million years old
5

Eureka’s year

Eureka has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. Summer afternoons average 64° in August; winter nights fall to about 40° in December. About 40 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 40.4 in
August, average64° / 53° · high / low, the warmest month
December, average55° / 40° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year40.4 in · wettest months: December and January
Hottest on record87°F · September 28, 2020
Coldest on record20°F · January 14, 1888
Wettest day on record6.79 in · December 27, 2002
Snowiest day on record3.4 in · January 13, 1907
Nights at or below 32°8 · a year, on average
Climate typeWarm-summer Mediterranean · Köppen Csb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Dec. 4, to the last in spring, about Feb. 26 (median dates)
2Wettest stretch · December through February: 20.4 of the year’s 40.4 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Eureka normally reaches 58° and falls to 44°. The record high is 71°, in 1970; the record low 31°, in 1978. The most rain on this date, 2.42 in, fell in 1934.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1886 from the Eureka Area threaded record (Eureka Wfo Woodley Island, here). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

< 2 mito the Pacific OceanEureka Slough

A raindrop that lands in Eureka reaches the Pacific Ocean by way of Eureka Slough: about 1 river miles.