How to read weather forecast?

I am a newbie trying to figure out how to read the weather forecast. From old posts, it seems the following websites are commonly used for WX forecasts:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov and http://forecast.weather.gov.

weather.gov has both zone forecast and single location forecast (where you can select any point on the map), while noaa.gov has only zone forecast. It seems the zone forecast are same for both sites.

My question is: should the zone forecast or single location forecast be used? For example, Timber Cove area forecast for the coming labor day:

Zone Forecast:
Labor Day: NW winds 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. Mixed swell NW 3 to 5 ft and SW 3 ft. Patchy fog.

Single location forecast:
Labor Day: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming WSW around 6 kt in the afternoon. Patchy fog before 11am. Mixed swell...WNW 3 to 4 ft and SW 2 ft. Wind waves around 1 ft.

Will the WX condition be good or not? I have some concern for the mixed swell, especially the SW 3 ft. (As some old posts warn on mixed swells and long period south waves). 

Thanks in advance!

both days look good! I don't know the topography of Timber so others should comment In general wind sucks for paddling and can make progress slow depending on the direction. Swell for me is a combo of height AND frequency. When they match (or worse when the 2nd number is lower) then it starts to suck. I start to get concerned when the they are 8 or higher....again 10 feet that is really spaced out is less of a concern 6 feet at 4 sec is a bucking bronco

  It's good that you know that long period swells can be dangerous. They are old fat waves. We are supposed to observe the breaking waves for a while before we go out so we can see what the biggest sets look like when they come in. It could be 10-20 minutes between sets.  Out on the water you can hardly notice them. But you know they are there when one second you see a boat and the next all you can see is it's antennas.

I use http://www.swellinfo.com/ for wave and weather info. The charts and graphs there can help understanding the info a little easier or at least it does for me. It also has info from all the buoys along the coast at a glance.

I guess i really never noticed that all my point forecast links start with weather.gov.  I tend to focus more on the point forecasts. The zone forecasts (I think) have to reflect the most hazardous conditions to be found within the zone in order to ensure public safety.  If you go by the zone instead of the point you may miss out on some good conditions. On the other hand forecasts are "buyer beware" type products. I have found the point foecasts to pretty accurate most of the time.  I've also driven for 3 hrs only to find them a total miss resulting in lunch on the beach instead of fish in the ice chest.

Thanks a lot, guys. I guess I should start only with good conditions confirmed from multiple sources. Maybe later with more experience, I can do more.

Question on marine forecast (Monterey) below: predicted swell is more than my first time out.  Is this big or no big deal for fishing the kelp beds near New Brighton? 
Also, Capitola Boat and Bait mentions wind a bit less in N Bay when winds are northerly; and the area forecast is maybe more relevant near shore.  Thoughts?  Thanks!
.VETERANS DAY…N WINDS 10 KT. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 2 FT. NW SWELL 3 TO 5 FT…DECREASING TO 2 TO 4 FT.

In other words, go for trout or rockfish this weekend?

+1 on Swell Info.  I also use their Android App.  Sometimes I think a dart board would be as accurate as any of the weather forecasters.  Frequently, things turn out to be much better than the forecast.

In addition to various weather channels, I also use these webcams:
For Bodega Bay and north:
http://www.wunderground.com/webcams/Bmarton/1/show.html

http://bml.ucdavis.edu/about/webcams/

For HMB and south:
http://www.coastsidelive.com/webcams.html

I don't go out if the dominant wave height is the same number (or close to) the interval; example:

  3' to 6' every 7 seconds  = nope

  3' to 6' every 15 seconds = maybe

  2' to 4' every 15 seconds = okay

And when you have  waves from to directions = washing machine, your getting hit from 2 directions with waves; example:

  Mixed swell NW 3 to 5 ft and SW 3 ft
  (the "SW 3ft" waves are most likely wind waves from the south and the intervals are generally close together, so you will be constantly hit with 3' waves)

I don't go out if the dominant wave height is the same number (or close to) the interval; example:

  3' to 6' every 7 seconds  = nope

  3' to 6' every 15 seconds = maybe

  2' to 4' every 15 seconds = okay

And when you have  waves from to directions = washing machine, your getting hit from 2 directions with waves; example:

  Mixed swell NW 3 to 5 ft and SW 3 ft
  (the "SW 3ft" waves are most likely wind waves from the south and the intervals are generally close together, so you will be constantly hit with 3' waves)

Thanks for the rule of thumb!

The swell predictions tend to be the most and maybe the only semi-reliable part of forecasts

Swell moves on its own clock so when they predict swell from two directions it can make for unpredictable conditions

Local geography matters a lot

When swell hits gradual slope like sandy beach it pretty much gets neutered and peters out

But where it runs up against steep rocky shoreline it bounces back and adds to the mayhem factor and if it's coming in from multiple directions it can get interesting

A couple if weeks ago I shot some short vids of semi-chaotic conditions north of the gate and would put them up if I could figure out how to get AVCHD onto YouTube

A couple of the clips show swell coming from two directions plus what gets reflected back from steep shore geography

The swell predictions tend to be the most and maybe the only semi-reliable part of forecasts

Swell moves on its own clock so when they predict swell from two directions it can make for unpredictable conditions

Local geography matters a lot

When swell hits gradual slope like sandy beach it pretty much gets neutered and peters out

But where it runs up against steep rocky shoreline it bounces back and adds to the mayhem factor and if it's coming in from multiple directions it can get interesting

A couple if weeks ago I shot some short vids of semi-chaotic conditions north of the gate and would put them up if I could figure out how to get AVCHD onto YouTube

A couple of the clips show swell coming from two directions plus what gets reflected back from steep shore geography

Great educational info if you can.  Thanks

The swell predictions tend to be the most and maybe the only semi-reliable part of forecasts

Swell moves on its own clock so when they predict swell from two directions it can make for unpredictable conditions


When swell hits gradual slope like sandy beach it pretty much gets neutered and peters out

But where it runs up against steep rocky shoreline it bounces back and adds to the mayhem factor

That's some excellent information right there. Spot on!
Please figure out how to post your video. I would love to see it.

I don't go out if the dominant wave height is the same number (or close to) the interval; example:

  3' to 6' every 7 seconds  = nope

  3' to 6' every 15 seconds = maybe

  2' to 4' every 15 seconds = okay

And when you have  waves from to directions = washing machine, your getting hit from 2 directions with waves; example:

  Mixed swell NW 3 to 5 ft and SW 3 ft
  (the "SW 3ft" waves are most likely wind waves from the south and the intervals are generally close together, so you will be constantly hit with 3' waves)

Another word of caution on any swell in Ncal that comes from the southerly direction.  Sometimes these are the remnants of huge swells from the southern hemisphere and while small in height they can hold allot of energy.  Got warned by the Sonoma coast lifeguard on that one day at Salt Pt.  Was getting ready to get in on one of the usual spots that are protected from the normal NW swells.  While he was explaining the situation the little cove really got slammed by what appeared to be a wave out of nowhere.  He also went on the suggest some excellent spots on days like that

That combined with the more common situation that G-Whiz notes makes southerly swells very unwelcome and sometimes dangerous.