High Surf, X Se Los Angeles
- When
- May 2, 10:00 AM PST to May 3, 12:30 PM PST
- Where
- X Se Los Angeles forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
High Surf in California, May 2 to 3, 1998
Large swells, from storms in the South Pacific, produced heavy surf along the Central and Southern California coasts. Average surf heights of 7 to 9 feet with local sets to 12 feet were reported.
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- 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.
Large swells, from storms in the South Pacific, produced heavy surf along the Central and Southern California coasts. Average surf heights of 7 to 9 feet with local sets to 12 feet were reported. In Rancho Palos Verdes, a man was swept away by the heavy surf while fishing on the rocks.
Event by event
5 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, W Santa Barbara
- When
- May 2, 10:00 AM PST to May 3, 12:30 PM PST
- Where
- W Santa Barbara forecast zone
High Surf, X S Santa Barbara
- When
- May 2, 10:00 AM PST to May 3, 12:30 PM PST
- Where
- X S Santa Barbara forecast zone
High Surf, X S Ventura
- When
- May 2, 10:00 AM PST to May 3, 12:30 PM PST
- Where
- X S Ventura forecast zone
High Surf, X W San Luis Obispo
- When
- May 2, 10:00 AM PST to May 3, 12:30 PM PST
- Where
- X W San Luis Obispo forecast zone
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Surf, X Se Los Angeles | 1998-05-02 | 39 | Male | In Water | Direct |
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
- Rip Current in Guam, May 2, 1998
- Flash Flood in Colorado, May 2 to 3, 1998
- Flash Flood and Flood in California, May 2, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 2 to 5, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, May 2 to 5, 1998
- Hail in Texas, May 2 to 3, 1998
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 2, 1998
- Hail in Arkansas, May 2, 1998
- Hail in Arkansas, May 2, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 2, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 2, 1998
- Hail in Missouri, May 2, 1998
More
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 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: 5640755, 5640756, 5640757, 5640758, 5640759.