California, 1997

Tornado and Damaging Winds in California, May 11, 1997

May 11, 1997 · NWS SGX · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Afternoon thunderstorm activity spawned a tornado and produced strong winds in the high desert areas. The small twister destroyed a metal shed, knocked over fences, uprooted trees, and ripped shingles off of roofs.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
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.

Afternoon thunderstorm activity spawned a tornado and produced strong winds in the high desert areas. The small twister destroyed a metal shed, knocked over fences, uprooted trees, and ripped shingles off of roofs. Shortly afterward, strong winds, lasting about ten minutes, blew part of a roof off one home, destroyed a shed, and blew a camper shell off of a truck near the Apple Valley High School. Elsewhere around town, trees and utility lines were blown down, and visibilities were reduced in blowing dust and sand . Shortly after 3:00 pm local time, a wall of blowing dust was observed approaching Hesperia from the northeast. As the gust front passed by, winds increased and visibilities dropped to around 100 feet in blowing dust. Lightning, thunder, and drops of rain were observed during the storm, although due to the large amount of airborne dust and dirt, it was more mud than rain. During the storm, an auction building near Spruce and C Streets was demolished and several steel sheds were tossed about.

The radar

The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, San Bernardino

When
May 11, 1:30 PM PST to 1:38 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Apple Vly
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Coordinates
34.520, -117.200

Thunderstorm Wind, San Bernardino

When
May 11, 1:40 PM PST to 1:50 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Apple Vly
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
34.520, -117.200

Thunderstorm Wind, San Bernardino

When
May 11, 2:10 PM PST to 2:20 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Hesperia
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates
34.420, -117.300

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 1997Warnings in California, May 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: 5618468, 5618469, 5618470.