Chapter 16: The North Pacific Coast

 According to the text, Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada,  in "northern California and sourthern Oregon, the Klamath Mountains offer a jumbled topographyy that is a product of Pleistoscene glaciation and steam erosion. " (Birdsall pg 326) This is why the rugged coastline of the North Pacific Coast is very similar to Big Sur's coastline. Both have rocky coastlines with amazing natural landscapes, along with gorgeous mountains and cliffs over the ocean. However, both regions also get a lot of rain, though Oregon receives more on average compared to Big Sur. 

Big Sur storm total: 21.34 inches of rain at Mining Ridge

 BigSurKate reports 8.6 inches so far at her location in today's storm, 10 inches at Mining Ridge, which is 4.5 miles NW of Cone Peak.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selago/4009254455/

Landslides may result from too much rain along Coastal areas in Big Sur:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Map 2852 

Maps Sh Estimated Sediment Yield From Coastal Landslides and Active Slope Distribution Along the Big Sur Coast, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California

By Cheryl J. Hapke, Krystal R. Green, and Kate Dallas

2004

The 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niños brought very high precipitation to California’s central coast; this precipitation resulted in raised groundwater levels, coastal flooding, and destabilized slopes throughout the region. Large landslides in the coastal mountains of Big Sur in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties blocked sections of California State Route 1, closing the road for months at a time. Large landslides such as these occur frequently in the winter months along the Big Sur coast due to the steep topography and weak bedrock. A large landslide in 1983 resulted in the closure of Highway 1 for over a year to repair the road and stabilize the slope. Resulting work from the 1983 landslide cost over $7 million and generated 30 million cubic yards of debris from landslide removal and excavations to re-establish the highway along the Big Sur coast. Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/2004/2852/