High Wind, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire
- When
- December 19, 3:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
High Wind in California, December 19, 1997
Strong surface gradients set up gusty Santa Ana winds below selected passes and canyons across Southern California. In Riverside, a 60-foot tree seriously damaged a home and destroyed a car when it was blown over in the high wind.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
Strong surface gradients set up gusty Santa Ana winds below selected passes and canyons across Southern California. In Riverside, a 60-foot tree seriously damaged a home and destroyed a car when it was blown over in the high wind. Near Pedley, a man lost control of his van because of a strong wind gust, resulting in his death, and injury to his passenger. The wind knocked out power to 9500 homes and businesses in parts of Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, and Chino, and raised huge clouds of blowing dust and sand in Redlands.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire
- When
- December 19, 3:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills
- When
- December 19, 3:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 80 kt (92 mph)
- Coordinates
- 33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire | 1997-12-19 | 35 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626272, 5626273, 5626274.