An inside slider low moved into Southern California on January 21 and brought widespread precipitation and strong westerly winds to the region. A period of Santa Ana winds immediately followed the inside slider, and brought high winds to the region, especially in the mountain areas.
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.
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.
An inside slider low moved into Southern California on January 21 and brought widespread precipitation and strong westerly winds to the region. A period of Santa Ana winds immediately followed the inside slider, and brought high winds to the region, especially in the mountain areas. The peak observed wind gust was 84 knots in Burns Canyon. Two people were killed when a large tree fell on their home in Point Loma in San Diego County.
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 Jan 20, 9:02 PM PST, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
902 PM PST Sun Jan 20 2019
.SYNOPSIS...
A deepening trough will bring cooler weather on Monday as the marine
layer surges back inland on westerly winds, which will become strong
from the mountain tops to the desert slopes tonight into Monday.
Cloudy skies and even a few light showers are possible along and
west of the mountains tonight through Monday morning. Winds will
turn northeast Monday night through Wednesday morning, becoming
gusty on the coastal-mountain slopes and foothills. It will be fair
warmer and dry again for the latter half of the week under a West
Coast ridge and periods of offshore flow.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING
ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTIES...
Satellite imagery still showed a healthy amount of high clouds over
SoCal at 8 PM PDT, but with thinning trends. a band of clouds and
showers was making it's way slowly south along the central coast
with higher PW indicated just ahead of it. The sfc pressure gradient
has been trending solidly onshore to the deserts and at 8 PM PST, we
had an 8 MB gradient from KSAN to SW NV. Winds were picking up in
some spots in the mountains already with peak gusts of around 45
MPH.
Our forecast is on track for a few showers to develop overnight and
strong westerly winds over the mts/deserts. A High Wind Warning is
in effect. No forecast changes this evening.
From previous discussion...
A healthy amount of upper level cloudiness has been streaming
across SoCal today from the SW subtropics, out ahead of the
approaching strong upper level trough which will become an inside
slider tonight through Monday across the Desert SW. Surface
gradients are already trending neutral to slightly onshore from
this morning's offshore gradients as the trough approaches and
deepens the marine layer along the coast.
As the strong trough and attendant cold front move through late
tonight and Monday morning there still looks like a potential for
scattered mainly light showers and mainly over the mountains and
areas west of the mountains. Snow levels will be around 5000 feet
and we could get an inch or two of the white stuff at the higher
elevations (above major pass levels).
Strong to severe wind gusts are still looking to be a potential
late tonight through Monday especially in the higher elevations
of the peninsular ranges and down along the desert slopes. Wind
gusts of 50 to 55 mph in the lower deserts could cause areas of
blowing sand and dust and poor visibilities at times.
West to northwest winds should gradually lessen during the day
Monday. Monday evening the gradients will quickly switch over to
offshore flow behind the trough. Santa Ana winds will become
strong late Monday night through Tuesday morning. Another round of
strong Santa Ana winds appear possible Tuesday night into
Wednesday morning, although upper-level support weakens for the
second round. For this reason a high wind watch was hoisted on
this shift for the coastal-mountain slopes and the foothills of
inland Orange and San Diego Counties and the Northern Inland
Empire near Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga.
Light offshore flow with a building upper level ridge will
dominate the scene for Wednesday through next weekend, with much
above normal temperatures west of the mountains, with a few valley
locations likely to hit the 80 degree mark at times. This pattern
will persist through next weekend with possibly a new weather
system on the horizon early to mid the following week (January
29-30).
&&
.AVIATION...
210300Z...Coast/Valleys...Low clouds with bases 1,000-1,500 FT MSL
to develop after 12/05Z, lifting to near 2,000 FT after 09Z and
clearing by 21/15-16Z. Elevated coastal terrain will see vis 3-5 mi
in fog during this period, with isolated areas of VCSH, mainly
inland. W winds will intensify after 10Z with SFC gusts 20-25 kt
persisting into the afternoon, then transitioning to E/NE winds
Monday night.
Mountains/Deserts...West-facing mountain slopes will at times be
obscured by fog with vis limited to 3-5 mi between 21/06Z and
21/17Z. W winds strengthening to 20-35 kt with gusts to 50 kt after
06Z Mon, producing STG UDDFTS and LLWS over and east of the mtns.
Winds weaken after 22/0Z before turning NE, strengthening overnight.
&&
.MARINE...
Very windy tonight and Mon with NW winds 20-25 kt gusting to 30 kt
(approaching 35 kt at times near San Clemente island), with the
strongest winds near sunrise Mon. A Small Craft Advisory is in
effect until 2 AM Tuesday. The NW winds will turn NE early Tue
morning and be strongest from San Mateo Point out to San Clemente
Island with gusts to 20 kt through midday Tue.
A WNW swell from 290-295 degrees at 8-10 sec will move through the
coastal waters Monday and Monday night. Combined seas of 6 feet in
the inner waters and 10 feet in the outer waters are likely.
&&
.BEACHES...
A WNW swell from 290-295 degrees with period 10-11 sec will bring
surf of 4-7 feet through early Tue, with some sets to 8 FT possible
in San Diego County. Highest surf will occur Mon. The surf combined
with morning high tides nearing 7 feet in spots may produce minor
coastal flooding at flood-prone beaches including Seal Beach, Sunset
Beach, Cardiff, and Imperial Beach. A Beach Hazards Statement is in
effect through noon Tue for possible beach flooding during early
morning high tides.
&&
.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation is not requested. However weather spotters and
skywarn members are encouraged to report significant wind conditions
and relay damage reports, if any, through Monday.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...High Wind Warning from 10 PM this evening to 2 PM PST Monday for
Apple and Lucerne Valleys-Coachella Valley-Riverside County
Mountains-San Bernardino County Mountains-San Diego County
Deserts-San Diego County Mountains-San Gorgonio Pass Near
Banning.
High Wind Watch from Monday evening through Wednesday morning
for Orange County Inland Areas-Riverside County Mountains-
San Bernardino County Mountains-San Bernardino and
Riverside County Valleys-The Inland Empire-San Diego County
Mountains-San Diego County Valleys-San Gorgonio Pass Near
Banning-Santa Ana Mountains and Foothills.
Beach Hazards Statement through Monday morning for Orange County
Coastal Areas-San Diego County Coastal Areas.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM PST Tuesday 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...10/Brotherton
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...RodriguezPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1037 PM PST SUN JAN 20 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1025 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 SE LUCERNE VALLEY 34.39N 116.86W
01/20/2019 E57 MPH SAN BERNARDINO CA TRAINED SPOTTER
PEAK WIND GUST MEASURED AT 57 MPH. NEIGHBORS
KAYAK SLID ACROSS STREET.
&&
MMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Burns Canyon mesonet reported a peak wind gust of 84 knots between 0200 and 0300 PST on January 21st.
Santiago Peak mesonet reported a peak gust of 58 knots between 0500 and 0600 PST on January 21st.
Broadcast media reported 2 fatalities when a large Torrey Pine tree fell over onto a home due to strong wind. Wind gusts were around 45 mph at the time of the event.
White Water RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 64 knots between 0600 and 0700 PST on January 21st.
Borrego Air Ranch Airport mesonet reported a peak wind gust of 54 knots between 0600 and 0700 PST on January 21st.
Spotter reported a large tree down on a home in Yorba Linda. No injuries or deaths were reported.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind, San Diego County Coastal Areas | 2019-01-21 | Permanent Home | Indirect | ||
| Strong Wind, San Diego County Coastal Areas | 2019-01-21 | Permanent Home | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2019
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: 805137, 805140, 805136, 805139, 805142, 805138.