Flood, San Diego
- When
- July 20, 1:00 PM PST to 2:30 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County, Mission Beach
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in California, July 20, 1998
An easterly wave moving over southern California helped to initiate rare thunderstorm activity along the San Diego County coast. The storms developed near Vista and moved south-southwest to coastal areas from LaJolla to Point Loma.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 0
- 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.
An easterly wave moving over southern California helped to initiate rare thunderstorm activity along the San Diego County coast. The storms developed near Vista and moved south-southwest to coastal areas from LaJolla to Point Loma. Urban flooding was reported at Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. In addition, lightning strikes set several trees ablaze and knocked out power to 21,000 homes and businesses in Clairemont and Point Loma.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, San Diego
- When
- July 20, 1:00 PM PST to 2:30 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County, Pacific Beach
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 20 to 23, 1998
- Heat in Maryland, July 20 to 23, 1998
- Heat in Arkansas, July 20 to 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 20, 1998
- Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, July 20, 1998
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 20, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, July 20, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in North Carolina, July 20 to 21, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 20, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 20, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 20, 1998
- Heat in Delaware, July 20 to 24, 1998
More
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 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: 5657640, 5657641.