High Wind, Orange County Coastal Areas
- When
- February 13, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- Orange County Coastal Areas forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
High Wind in California, February 13, 1997
Strong northerly winds rounding the base of a deep upper atmospheric trough, augmented surface gradient winds across Southern California, resulting in damaging Santa Ana winds below passes and canyons. In Orange County, peak winds were clocked at 85 mph through Fremont Canyon, and 44 mph at Huntington Beach.
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
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 northerly winds rounding the base of a deep upper atmospheric trough, augmented surface gradient winds across Southern California, resulting in damaging Santa Ana winds below passes and canyons. In Orange County, peak winds were clocked at 85 mph through Fremont Canyon, and 44 mph at Huntington Beach. Trees were uprooted, power lines downed, and tractor-trailer rigs toppled. One firefighter suffered minor injuries, when the wind blew boards off a truck, onto him, while he was trying to extinguish a fire. Two big rigs toppled on I-10 and I-15 transition roads, shutting them down for much of the day. Downed electric lines resulted in sporadic power outages.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire
- When
- February 13, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - the Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire
- When
- February 13, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
High Wind, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills
- When
- February 13, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Coordinates
- 33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Arkansas, February 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Maryland, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 13, 1997
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, February 13, 1997
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 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: 5590635, 5590636, 5590637, 5590817.