1 high wind, 1 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Pre-frontal winds downed 10 power poles in the Bear Valley area of the Tehachapi Mountains. Gusty wind to 40 MPH on the Southern San Joaquin Valley floor downed numerous trees and powerlines in and around Bakersfield.
In heavy rain, a car hydroplaned off Interstate-5 near Lebec into a swollen creek adjacent to the road. Before a rescue could be accomplished one of the vehicle's occupants was swept downstream.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Kern | 1997-12-05 | 65 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1997
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: 5626856, 5626855.