California, 1999

High Wind in California, April 3, 1999

April 3, 1999 · NWS MTR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A late Spring Storm brought widespread high winds, small hail and snow to the higer regions of the BAy area and central coast. A 1 year old child was killed by a 90 foot Tree being blown on to the car which she was waiting with her mother in Salinas CA..

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
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  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
2
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 MTR wrote it up.

A late Spring Storm brought widespread high winds, small hail and snow to the higer regions of the BAy area and central coast. A 1 year old child was killed by a 90 foot Tree being blown on to the car which she was waiting with her mother in Salinas CA.. The mother was also trapped, injured and ihad to be removed with the JAWS of Life. US congressmen Farr was unijured when his truck pulling a traliler was blow off the road.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Monterey T X W / San Benito

When
April 3, 8:00 AM PST
Where
Monterey T X W / San Benito forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

High Wind, San Mateo

When
April 3, 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Mateo forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Sonoma / Marin

When
April 3, 8:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
Sonoma / Marin forecast zone
Measured
85 kt (98 mph)
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Peak wind of 85 kts was rcorded at the Pt. Reyes light house. Many tress as large as Five feet in diamneter were oppled by the storm.

High Wind, San Francisco

When
April 3, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
San Francisco forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.778, -122.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A nine yea old girl was injured when a nine inch tree branch fell on her in Golden gate Park..

High Wind, Santa Cruz

When
April 3, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Santa Cruz forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

An 11 month old infant was killed when a tree branch was blown onto the Roaring Fork Railroad open car in which he wa riding with his parents nea Felton CA..

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
High Wind, Monterey T X W / San Benito1999-04-031MaleUnder TreeDirect

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 1999

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: 5690427, 5690503, 5690505, 5690428, 5690504.