A northwest swell brought high surf to west facing beaches.
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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 episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.
A northwest swell brought high surf to west facing beaches.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 20, 9:46 AM PST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
946 AM PST Sun Nov 20 2016
.SYNOPSIS...
A strong low pressure system off the Southern California coast will
move inland tonight and Monday bringing strong onshore flow with
much cooler weather, heavy rain and snow and strong winds at times.
The most widespread precipitation is expected with the cold frontal
passage late this evening through late tonight. Dry with generally
seasonal temperatures for Tuesday into next weekend with slow
warming for Tuesday into Thanksgiving...followed by slow cooling
into next weekend and another possible storm system around next
Sunday.
&&
.MORNING UPDATE...
Light radar returns have been continuing this morning out ahead of
the major Pacific trough...but most locations remain dry with the
dry low level atmosphere in place.
The major storm system is poised off the Central Coast this morning.
Trough is becoming negatively tilted as expected and that will help
to kick the front in with some authority tonight. Overall the system
is a bit slower and now expected most of the event to occur well
after dark through daybreak Monday. The Monday morning rush hour is
likely to be a dicey one for most metro areas. All of the headlines
remain in place. No significant changes this morning to the
forecast.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING
ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTIES...
.SHORT TERM (Today through Tuesday)...
Water vapor imagery shows the center of a low pressure system off
the Southern California coast near 33N/128W. It will continue to
move eastward...moving through Southern California tonight into
Monday. Prior to the cold frontal passage tonight...this low
pressure system will partially tap a plume of subtropical moisture
extending northward into northern Baja. Scattered mostly light
showers have developed across portions of Southern California in
the difluent area ahead of the trough of low pressure. A few
showers developed early Saturday evening with coverage having
increased somewhat since 4 AM. The moisture is centered in the mid
levels with the 12Z NKX sounding show a nearly saturated layer
from 700 to 500 mb with a dry subcloud layer. There have been a
few light measurable rainfall amounts overnight...mostly in the
mountains. But there have also been some light amounts in the past
couple of hours at lower elevations...mostly trace to 0.01 inch
amounts, While a number of models are showing this prefrontal
shower activity...none have been very good with the details. In
any event...amounts are expected to light into early this evening.
The most widespread period of showers is expected with the cold
frontal band. It is expected to reach areas just east of Los
Angeles County during the late evening and San Diego County around
midnight. There is also a slight chance of thunderstorms with this
cold frontal band. Most of the precipitation with the front
should be over by sunrise Monday. However showers will linger into
Monday with greatest coverage and amounts in the mountains. Some
island band showers may continue in portions of San Diego County
into Monday evening...ending Monday night.
Cooling will continue today with Monday the coolest day with high
temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below average. Dry weather with
warming of 5 to 10 degrees for Tuesday.
&&
.LONG TERM (Wednesday through Saturday)...
Dry with generally seasonal temperatures with troughs of low
pressure moving by to the north modulating periods of weak onshore
and offshore flow and slightly cooler and warmer periods. In general
the GFS troughs have been a little faster with a little greater
amplitude that for the ECMWF. In general...slight warming into
Thanksgiving...then slight cooling into next weekend.
&&
.AVIATION...
201630Z...Areas of stratus with bases 1500-2500 ft MSL west of the
mountains through this afternoon. Otherwise BKN-OVC AOA 6000 ft MSL
will prevail through 21/00z. Multiple SCT-OVC cloud layers between
2500-10000 ft MSL will develop after 21/00Z as a frontal system
approaches the region. TSRA and RA will move in to Orange County
21/03-06Z, then spread inland and southward through 21/09z. Local
CIGS near 1000 ft MSL and VIS reductions of 1/2-3 SM will occur with
heavier showers/thunderstorms between 21/06-18Z. The coastal
mountain slopes will be obscured tonight through Monday morning.
Increasing S-SW winds with sfc gusts 30-40 KT over the ridges and
along the desert mountain slopes of the San Bernardino County
mountains through 21/00Z. Winds shifting to SW-W and spreading to
the mountains and deserts sloped of Riverside and San Diego Counties
after 21/00Z. STG-SVR UDDFS and LLWS possible over the desert slopes
of the mountains and adjacent desert foothills through Monday.
&&
.MARINE...
A cold front will move over the coastal waters tonight into early
Monday. South winds will develop ahead of the front this evening
with gusts to 20 kt possible. Winds will shift early monday morning,
becoming west to northwest with gusts of 20-25 kt through Monday
evening. The winds will be accompanied by combined seas of 5-10 FT.
A small craft advisory is in effect for gusty winds and large seas
from 1 AM to 9 PM Monday, and a Marine Weather Statement remains in
effect for possible thunderstorms tonight into Monday morning.
&&
.BEACHES...
A west-northwest swell from 290 degrees peaking at 6-8 feet/14-15
seconds will produce surf of 5-8 feet with locally higher sets on
exposed west-facing beaches today and Monday. Strong rip currents
and dangerous swimming conditions are expected. A High Surf Advisory
remains in effect through Monday afternoon. Swell and surf will
diminish Monday night into Tuesday.
&&
.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation is likely beginning this evening. Please provide
any reports from your location of severe weather or heavy snow.
You can transmit your report via amateur radio, calling our office,
and Facebook and Twitter. Thanks!
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Wind Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 8 PM PST Monday for
Riverside County Mountains-San Diego County Deserts-San
Diego County Mountains-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.
Wind Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 3 AM PST Monday for
Apple and Lucerne Valleys-San Bernardino County Mountains.
Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 7 AM PST
Monday for Riverside County Mountains-San Bernardino County
Mountains.
High Surf Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 6 PM PST Monday for
Orange County Coastal Areas-San Diego County Coastal Areas.
Flash Flood Watch from this evening through late tonight for San
Bernardino County Mountains.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM to 9 PM PST Monday for Coastal
Waters from San Mateo Point to the Mexican Border and out
to 30 nm-Waters from San Mateo point to the Mexican Border
Extending 30 to 60 nm out including San Clemente Island.
&&
PUBLIC...17/JMB
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...AlbrightThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
Surf, with sets of 5 to 8 ft, was reported at Huntington Beach.
Mission Beach Lifeguards and several public sources reported sets to 8 ft south of Del Mar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, November 2016
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: 666067, 666066.