Winter Weather — San Diego County Mountains, California

1997-01-07 to 1997-01-18 · San Diego County Mountains, California

Wider weather episode

Persistent northerly flow and low pressure aloft along the west coast, resulted in a prolonged period of cold and snow for the San Diego Mountains. Up to 18 inches of snow was reported over the higher elevations of the Laguna Mountains, with temperatures dipping into the upper teens and twenties at night. Undocumented immigrants were caught unprepared for the harsh conditions, resulting in a rash of fatalities due to hypothermia. One man died on the seventh, while clinging to a tree in the Tijuana River. Another was found on the Campo Indian Reservation on the tenth. Four more bodies were recovered near Pine Valley on the thirteenth and fourteenth. Elsewhere, a women in her late 20s died in rural Campo, and a 21 year old man died near Jamul. On January 16, four more undocumented immigrants died of exposure crossing the Laguna Mountains. Finally, on the seventeenth and eighteenth, a young male body was found in an open area near Campo and another was recovered near Potrero.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5588449. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.