Thunderstorm Wind, San Diego
- When
- August 17, 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County, 10 mi S of Ocotillo Wells
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 33.000, -116.133
Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in California, August 17, 2000
Thunderstorms developed on both mountain ranges forming the Vallecito Creek watershed. The outflow from these formed another thunderstorm that moved slowly downstream.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed on both mountain ranges forming the Vallecito Creek watershed. The outflow from these formed another thunderstorm that moved slowly downstream. An automated remote weather station the Fish Creek Mountains measured a wind gust of 74 mph, a temperature drop of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and 1.24 inches of rain in less than an hour. Nearly two hours after the rain ended, eight inches of water was still covering Split Mountain Road near it's junction with Fish Creek.
The radar
The San Diego radar (KNKX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:00 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, San Diego
- When
- August 17, 3:15 PM PST to 6:15 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County, 7 mi S of Ocotillo Wells
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding in Colorado, August 17, 2000
- Rip Current in California, August 17, 2000
- Flood and Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 17, 2000
- Flooding and Hail in Indiana, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 17, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 17, 2000
More
Every storm in California in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2000
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: 5155047, 5155046.