Flash Flood and Hail in California, July 13, 1999

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in California, July 13, 1999
Start: 1999-07-13T15:05
End: 1999-07-13T16:45
Location: California

July 13, 1999 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms moved over the same area that had experienced flash flooding the previous two days. 8 inches of rain in 25 minutes.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2.0 million
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.

Thunderstorms moved over the same area that had experienced flash flooding the previous two days. Four creeks overflowed as the area received 1.8 inches of rain in 25 minutes. A 10 foot wall of mud and debris washed across roads. Four homes were destroyed, 10 sustained major damage, and 16 sustained minor damage. Hail, 0.75 inch diameter, was reported as the heavy rain ended.

The radar

The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, San Bernardino

When: July 13, 3:05 PM PST to 4:45 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, Forest Falls
Property damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, San Bernardino

When: July 13, 4:40 PM PST to 4:45 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County, Forest Falls
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.080, -116.920

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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, July 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5706938, 5706939.