High Surf, Orange County Coastal Plain
- When
- January 28, 8:00 PM PST to January 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Orange County Coastal Plain forecast zone
High Surf in California, January 28 to 31, 1998
A series of powerful storms lined up across the Pacific, generated towering surf and swell, that battered beach-front buildings, hammered crumbling sea cliffs, and swamped low-lying coastal roads during high tide. Waves, occasionally reaching 15 to 20 feet, ripped away support beams from the Seal Beach pier, and damaged 32 homes in San Clemente.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
A series of powerful storms lined up across the Pacific, generated towering surf and swell, that battered beach-front buildings, hammered crumbling sea cliffs, and swamped low-lying coastal roads during high tide. Waves, occasionally reaching 15 to 20 feet, ripped away support beams from the Seal Beach pier, and damaged 32 homes in San Clemente. In San Diego County, the waves scoured much of the sand from North County beaches, closed Highway 101 several times, and damaged the Ocean Beach pier. Lifeguards were busy with numerous rescues. A Solana Beach lifeguard was injured while rescuing a drowning teen, who also suffered minor injuries.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, San Diego County Coasts
- When
- January 28, 8:00 PM PST to January 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County Coasts forecast zone
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in New Jersey, January 28 to 29, 1998
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in Delaware, January 28 to 29, 1998
- Coastal Flood and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, January 28 to 29, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Maryland, January 28, 1998
- Flash Flood in Virginia, January 28, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Virginia, January 28, 1998
- High Wind in Oregon, January 28, 1998
- Coastal Flood and Heavy Rain in Maryland, January 28, 1998
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 28, 1998
- High Surf in California, January 28 to 31, 1998
- High Wind in South Carolina, January 28, 1998
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 28, 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: 5628298, 5628299.