Flash Flood in California, August 30, 1998

Name: Flash Flood in California, August 30, 1998
Start: 1998-08-30T14:35
End: 1998-08-30T15:25
Location: California

August 30, 1998 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

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: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 radar

The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Kern

When: August 30, 2:35 PM PST to 3:25 PM PST
Where: Kern County, 3 mi WNW of Inyokern Arpt
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Worst cast hydro scenario with storm moving eastward at 3 MPH down the watershed of the steep Indian Wells Canyon. State Highway 14 affected by water over the roadway 1 mile north of State Highway 178. Small stream flood advisory issued for area at 1225 PST specifically mentioning Highway 14. Warning issued upon receipt of report at 1448 PST ... Initial report of 6 feet of water later confirmed that depth was something close to one foot. Damage limited to roadbed erosion.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in California, August 1998

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: 5655666.