Waterspout, Orange
- When
- March 13, 5:10 PM PST to 5:20 PM PST
- Where
- Orange County, 8 mi W of Huntington Beach
- Coordinates
- 33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Waterspouts in California, March 13, 1998
Unstable conditions associated with a low pressure trough dropping down the California coast, spawned two waterspouts off of Huntington Beach. The waterspouts came very close to offshore platforms, but no damage was reported.
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.
Unstable conditions associated with a low pressure trough dropping down the California coast, spawned two waterspouts off of Huntington Beach. The waterspouts came very close to offshore platforms, but no damage was reported. These were part of a family of at least 6 waterspouts which a pilot report indicated stretched from near Seal Beach to Santa Catalina Island.
The radar
The Santa Ana Mts radar (KSOX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:12 UTC.
Event by event
2 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
Waterspout, Orange
- When
- March 13, 5:12 PM PST to 5:37 PM PST
- Where
- Orange County, 8 mi W of Huntington Beach
- Coordinates
- 33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- 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
- Flooding and Hail in California, March 13, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 13, 1998
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 13, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, March 13 to 16, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, March 13 to 15, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13, 1998
- High Wind in South Dakota, March 13, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, March 13 to 14, 1998
More
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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: 5632162, 5632163.