Flooding and Waterspout in California, January 9 to 10, 1998

Name: Flooding and Waterspout in California, January 9 to 10, 1998
Start: 1998-01-09T12:00
End: 1998-01-10T12:00
Location: California

January 9 to 10, 1998 · NWS SGX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rains soaked Southwestern California in advance of a low pressure trough and cold front. Rains began on the afternoon of the eighth, and lasted until early on the tenth.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Heavy rains soaked Southwestern California in advance of a low pressure trough and cold front. Rains began on the afternoon of the eighth, and lasted until early on the tenth. Many areas received over two inches of rain, with greater amounts in the mountains. Chino and Rancho Cucamonga were hard hit with flooding. Sixteen intersections in Chino were closed, and several businesses on the south side of town reported damage. In Rancho Cucamonga, water two to three feet deep rushed down some roads, stranding motorists. In addition, a waterspout was spotted offshore of Laguna Beach.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood, 1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, San Bernardino

When: January 9, 12:00 PM PST to January 10, 12:00 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, Chino
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, San Bernardino

When: January 9, 12:00 PM PST to January 10, 12:00 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, Rancho Cucamonga
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Waterspout, Orange

When: January 9, 1:30 PM PST to 1:40 PM PST
Where: Orange County, 3 mi SW of Laguna Beach
Coordinates: 33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Waterspout: A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

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, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628150, 5628151, 5628152.