Winter Storm in California, April 3 to 4, 1999

Name: Winter Storm in California, April 3 to 4, 1999
Start: 1999-04-03T11:30
End: 1999-04-04T10:00
Location: California

April 3 to 4, 1999 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
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: 1
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $370,000
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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Orange County Coastal Plain

When: April 3, 11:30 AM PST to April 4, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Orange County Coastal Plain forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $330,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Heavy surf and strong wind gusts ripped sails and parted lines on several yachts racing between Catalina Island and Newport, grounded two small boats, and capsized two others. The three man crew of one boat was rescued. Debris from the other boat was found, but the one man crew was lost and presumed drowned. Strong winds also caused blowing sand and reduced visibilities from Seal Beach to San Clemente, tore loose road signs along Pacific Coast Highway between Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, and downed power lines and trees throughout Orange County. Farther south in San Diego County, boats were jumbled about in San Diego Bay marinas and power outages occurred in Point Loma.

Winter Storm, San Diego County Coasts

When: April 3, 11:30 AM PST to April 4, 10:00 AM PST
Where: San Diego County Coasts forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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
Winter Storm, Orange County Coastal Plain	1999-04-04	32	Male	In Water	Direct

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5693146, 5693147.