1997 — Jan 7-18, Winter Snow and Cold, San Diego County Mountains, CA — 14
— 14 NCDC. Storm Events Database. Winter Weather, CA, San Diego Co. Mts., Jan 7-18, 1997.
Male, 22, in water.
Male, age not noted, outdoors.
Male, 17, outdoors.
Female, 28, outdoors.
Male, 21, outdoors.
Female, 20, outdoors.
Male, 22, outdoors.
Male, 36, outdoors.
Male, 37, outdoors.
Male, age not noted, outdoors.
Male, 21, outdoors.
Male, 19, outdoors.
Male, 17, outdoors.
Male, 23, outdoors.
Narrative Information
NCDC: “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 woman 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.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Winter Weather, California, San Diego County Mountains, Jan 7-18, 1997.)
Source
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Winter Weather, California, San Diego County Mountains, Jan 7-18, 1997. Accessed 1-31-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5588449