High Surf — Orange County Coastal Plain, California

1998-01-28 to 1998-01-31 · Orange County Coastal Plain, California

Wider weather episode

A series of powerful storms lined up across the Pacific, generated towering surf and swell, that battered beach-front buildings, hammered crumbling sea cliffs, and swamped low-lying coastal roads during high tide. Waves, occasionally reaching 15 to 20 feet, ripped away support beams from the Seal Beach pier, and damaged 32 homes in San Clemente. In San Diego County, the waves scoured much of the sand from North County beaches, closed Highway 101 several times, and damaged the Ocean Beach pier. Lifeguards were busy with numerous rescues. A Solana Beach lifeguard was injured while rescuing a drowning teen, who also suffered minor injuries.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5628298. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.