California, 1999

High Surf in California, March 4 to 5, 1999

March 4 to 5, 1999 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 25 ton, 38 foot tug boat, enroute from Oceanside to Point Loma the afternoon of 03/04/99 was found capsized 200 feet off Point Loma the morning of 3/05/99, shortly after it had been reported overdue. The crew consisted of a 51 year old male.

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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  • Wind
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  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

A 25 ton, 38 foot tug boat, enroute from Oceanside to Point Loma the afternoon of 03/04/99 was found capsized 200 feet off Point Loma the morning of 3/05/99, shortly after it had been reported overdue. The crew consisted of a 51 year old male. His body was found the following morning, 03/06/99, on Silver Strand Beach in Coronado. Rough Seas are considered to have been a factor in the boat's capsizing.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, San Diego County Coasts

When
March 4, 6:00 PM PST to March 5, 10:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Coasts forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$150,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
High Surf, San Diego County Coasts1999-03-0451MaleIn WaterDirect

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

More

Every storm in California in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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: 5689430.