California is a state defined by wildly diverse topography; from the tall peaks of the Sierra Nevada, to the lush lowlands of the Central Valley and the rugged cliffs lining more than 800 miles of coastline.
But when it comes to wind, the invisible force that shapes landscapes and fuels wildfires, one spot in the state consistently stands above the rest. A Chronicle analysis of three decades of wind gusts shows the state’s windiest spot isn’t a mountain peak, a high desert bluff, or even Point Reyes, which once reportedly logged a gust of 133 mph . It’s Cape Mendocino — a remote coastal headland — which juts out into the Pacific Ocean just south of Eureka and marks the westernmost point in California.
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Cape Mendocino is a part of California’s Lost Coast, a rugged, roadless stretch well-known by backpackers, where Highway 1 detours inland to avoid the steep terrain. Just south of Eureka, the cape is surrounded by steep cliffs, redwood groves and isolated communities like Petrolia and Shelter Cove.
“Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Nick Pape, the fire chief in Shelter Cove, a small community tucked just southeast of the cape, of the region’s windiest designation. “We get the full brunt of the wind out here. There’s no protection. It just comes screaming off the ocean and hits us head on.”…