High Surf, W Santa Barbara
- When
- January 10, 2:30 PM PST to January 14, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- W Santa Barbara forecast zone
High Surf in California, January 10 to 14, 1998
A series of Pacific storms generated heavy surf along the Central and Southern California coasts. 10 to 15 foot surf with local sets to 18 feet battered the coasts of San Luis Obispo and western Santa Barbara counties.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 LOX wrote it up.
A series of Pacific storms generated heavy surf along the Central and Southern California coasts. At its peak...10 to 15 foot surf with local sets to 18 feet battered the coasts of San Luis Obispo and western Santa Barbara counties. Elsewhere...average surf conditions of 6 to 10 feet with local sets to 12 feet developed. Minor coastal flooding was reported.
Event by event
5 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, X S Santa Barbara
- When
- January 10, 2:30 PM PST to January 14, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- X S Santa Barbara forecast zone
High Surf, X S Ventura
- When
- January 10, 2:30 PM PST to January 14, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- X S Ventura forecast zone
High Surf, X Se Los Angeles
- When
- January 10, 2:30 PM PST to January 14, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- X Se Los Angeles forecast zone
High Surf, X W San Luis Obispo
- When
- January 10, 2:30 PM PST to January 14, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- X W San Luis Obispo forecast zone
What these are
- High Surf
- Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Oregon, January 10 to 29, 1998
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Washington, January 10 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 10 to 11, 1998
- Flooding in Indiana, January 10 to 16, 1998
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, January 10 to 11, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Utah, January 10 to 11, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 10 to 11, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 10 to 14, 1998
- Winter Weather in Nebraska, January 10, 1998
- Flooding in Illinois, January 10 to 23, 1998
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 10 to 12, 1998
- Flood in Ohio, January 10, 1998
More
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5627101, 5627102, 5627103, 5627104, 5627105.