California, 1999

Wildfire and Dust Storm in California, December 21 to 22, 1999

December 21 to 22, 1999 · NWS SGX · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

Strong Santa Ana winds hit Southwestern California on the evening of 12/21 and lasted through most of the following day. Widespread power and phone outages occurred from falling trees knocking down lines and snapped poles.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$227,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

Strong Santa Ana winds hit Southwestern California on the evening of 12/21 and lasted through most of the following day. Widespread power and phone outages occurred from falling trees knocking down lines and snapped poles. A large dust cloud over the San Jacinto Valley closed highways, sand blasted cars, and reached a height of 500 feet. Blowing sand, dirt and cross winds at Ontario International Airport forced the diversion of two commercial airline flights and the cancellation of three others. Gusty winds also spread a house fire in Glendale to an adjacent house causing two injuries and $50,000 damage. Wind gusts between 35 and 53 mph were observed at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Firefighters had difficulty controlling three wildfires in San Diego County due to the strong wind gusts.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high wind, 1 wildfire, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, San Diego

When
December 21, 5:00 PM PST to December 22, 1:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, 5 mi NW of Campo
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills

When
December 21, 8:00 PM PST to December 22, 7:00 PM PST
Where
Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills forecast zone
Measured
86 kt (99 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.483, -116.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire

When
December 21, 9:30 PM PST to December 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$57,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

High Wind, San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire

When
December 21, 10:00 PM PST to December 22, 9:00 AM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.293, -116.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, San Diego T X W

When
December 21, 10:00 PM PST to December 22, 4:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego T X W forecast zone
Measured
59 kt (68 mph)
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Riverside County Mountains

When
December 21, 10:00 PM PST to December 22, 2:00 PM PST
Where
Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, San Diego County Valleys

When
December 21, 11:30 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Valleys forecast zone
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Orange County Coastal Plain

When
December 22, 8:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where
Orange County Coastal Plain forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dust Storm, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire

When
December 22, 8:40 AM PST to 2:55 PM PST
Where
Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
Reported by
AIRPLANE PILOT

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

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, December 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: 5723245, 5723240, 5723239, 5723237, 5723238, 5723243, 5723241, 5723244, 5723242.