1993 — Jan 5-Feb 28, Winter storms; heavy rain/flooding/landslides, Southern, CA — 39
–39 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–22 CSUSB. AFTF Study… 2009, mod., pp. 36-37, 58.
— 7 Riverside County, Jan 5-20. Flooded roads and cars swept away, pp. 36-37.
–15 San Diego Co., Jan 5-Feb 28. Drownings; illegal immigrants, Tijuana River. P. 58
–13 NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No’s 1-2, Jan-Feb 1993.
–10 Jan 6-18, Southern CA, Winter Storms. NCDC. Storm Data, 35/1, Jan 1993, p. 13-14.
–1 Los Angeles County, Antelope Valley. Male drowns in rushing creek. P.14.
–1 Los Angeles Co., Long Beach. Male, drowned; fell into Coyote Creek. P. 14.
–1 Riverside Co., Riverside. Male drowns crossing rain-swollen wash. P. 14.
–5 Riverside Co., Temecula area. Truck swept down creek while fording. P. 14.[1]
–1 San Bernardino Co., Upland. Male caught in flood water walking down street.
–1 San Diego County. Boy drowns; swept down Escondido Creek. P. 14.
— 1 LA County, LA River, Feb 7-10. NCDC Storm Data, 35/2, p. 12.
— 2 Feb 18-20, Southern CA. NCDC Storm Data, 35/2, p. 12.
–11 AP. “State rushes repairs as 3rd storm blows in.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 2-22-1993, 1.[2]
—>9 AP. “New storm due in N. California…” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 1-20-1993, A2.
–6 Riverside County, Temecula, Jan 15-17. Drownings in flood waters.
–1 San Diego Co., Chula Vista, Jan 18. Man working at county dump hit by lightning.[3]
–1 San Diego County. Drowning; teen-ager.
— 3 by Jan 8. Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, WI. “Ten rescued…[CA] flood…” 1-8-1993, 5A.
— 0 NCDC. Storm Events Database. “Search Results for All Counties in [CA] all…Types.”
Los Angeles County ( 4)
–1 Antelope Valley, Jan 6-18. Male drowns in rushing creek. NCDC Storm Data 35/1, p. 13.
–1 Long Beach, Jan 6-18. Male, drowned after falling into Coyote Creek. NCDC Storm Data.
–1 Los Angeles River, Feb 7-10. Drowning; male swept away. NCDC Storm Data, 35/2, p. 12.[4]
–1 LA Inter. Airport area, Jan 7. Male; car went out of control on flooded road, hits light pole.[5]
Orange County ( 1)
— 1 Laguna Beach, Pacific Coast Highway at Irvine Cove Drive, Jan 16. Vehicles collide.[6]
Riverside County ( 7)
–7 Jan 5-20. Flooded roads and cars swept away. CSUSB. AFTF Study… 2009, mod., p. 36-37.
–1 Riverside Co., Riverside, Jan 6-18. Male drowns trying to cross rain-swollen wash.
–5 Riverside Co., Temecula area, Jan 6-18. Drownings; truck swept down creek.[7]
–5 Temecula area, Jan 16. Drownings; three adults, two children, crossing flooded road.[8]
–1 Apparently vehicle-related drowning in that the CSUSB notes seven such deaths.
San Bernardino Co. ( 1)
–1 San Bernardino Co., Upland, Jan 6-18. Male caught in flood water walking down a street.[9]
San Diego County (>24)
— 26 William Pink, chief, Border Patrol Imperial Beach (San Diego Co.) section, in WP.[10]
— 24 Jan 8-March 3. FEMA. Interagency Hazard Mitigation…Report… 3-29-1993, p. 4.[11]
—>18 Blanchard tally of breakouts below.
–15 Jan 8-28. Drownings; illegal immigrants crossing swollen Tijuana River. FEMA.[12]
—>8 (18 others missing), Jan 5-Feb 2. Tijuana River Levee Channel. LA Times.[13]
— 3 Tijuana River, U.S. side, Feb 7. Border police discover bodies along bank.[14]
— 1 Tijuana River, Feb 21. Drowning; male.[15]
— 1 San Diego County, Jan 6-18. Boy drowns in Escondido Creek. NCDC Storm Data.
— 1 San Diego drainage ditch, Feb 18-20. Drowning; boy. NCDC Storm Data 35/2, 12.
— 1 Northern San Diego Co., Feb 18-20. Drowning after truck overturned by water.[16]
Ventura County ( 1)
— 1 Canejo Creek, Feb 7-8. Drowning; male, 49, pulled from overturned tractor. NCDC.[17]
Locality not noted ( 1)
— 1 About 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, ~Feb 21. Drowning; boy, 2, rain-swollen creek.[18]
Breakout of Fatalities by Cause of Death (where noted):
Drownings (31)
— 1 Los Angeles Co., Antelope Valley, Jan 6-18. Male drowns in rushing creek. NCDC, 35/1.
— 1 Los Angeles Co., Long Beach, Jan 6-18. Male, drowned; fell into Coyote Creek. NCDC.
— 1 Los Angeles Co., 5 miles off San Pedro, ~Feb 9. Drowning; male, 65, swept off sailboat.
— 1 Riverside Co., Riverside, Jan 6-18. Male drowns crossing rain-swollen wash. NCDC, 35/1.
— 1 Riverside Co., Riverside, Jan 6-18. Male drowns crossing rain-swollen wash. NCDC, 35/1.
— 5 Riverside Co., Temecula area, Jan 6-18. Truck swept down creek while fording. NCDC.
— 1 Riverside Co., Jan 6-18. Apparently vehicle-related drowning.[19]
— 1 San Bernardino Co., Upland, Jan 6-18. Male caught in flood water walking down street. NCDC.
— 1 San Diego County, Jan 6-18. Boy drowns; swept down Escondido Creek. NCDC, 35/1, 14.
— 1 San Diego drainage ditch, Feb 18-20. Drowning; boy. NCDC Storm Data 35/2, p. 12.
— 1 Northern San Diego Co., Feb 18-20. Drowning after truck overturned by water. NCDC.
–15 San Diego Co., Jan 5-Feb 28. Drownings; illegal immigrants, Tijuana River. SCUSB, p. 58
— 1 About 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, ~Feb 21. Drowning; boy, 2, rain-swollen creek.
Vehicular Accidents ( 2)
— 1 LA Inter. Airport area, Jan 7. Male; car went out of control on flooded road, hits light pole.
— 1 Laguna Beach, Pacific Coast Highway at Irvine Cove Drive, Jan 16. Vehicles collide.
Non-Specific Weather-Related ( 6)
— 6 San Diego County, Jan 5-28. Non-specified storm-related.[20]
Narrative Information
CSUSB on Imperial County: “January 8-March 3, 1993. Severe winter storms brought wide spread flooding most of Southern California. In Imperial County approximately 650 miles of County maintained gravel roads suffered flood damages.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 mod., pp. 8-9.)
CSUSB on Los Angeles County: “January 5-20, 1993. On February 3, 1993 President Clinton declared Los Angeles County a disaster area after a series of storms left behind heavy rain that caused countywide flooding. Floods during this period caused $14 mil in damages to Los Angeles County. In Pacific Palisades 3 homes were destroyed and 4 more damaged due to landslides. In the Mt. Washington area 2 more structures were threatened by slides.” (California State Univ. Santa Barbara. AFTF Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 mod., p. 21.)
CSUSB on Orange County: “January and February, 1993. President Clinton declared Orange County a disaster area after a severe winter storm hits the area. This series of storms left behind large quantities of rain. Coyote Creek, El Modena Irvine Channel, and Segundo Detach Canada all overflowed, but only caused minor problems. In the Anaheim Hills a 24 acre landslide destroyed 3 houses and forced the evacuation of 45 others. In other areas of Anaheim Hill another 7 homes were also threatened with slides. 100 wells were dug to dewater and try to drain the hillsides to slow this movement. In Laguna Beach a landslide destroyed 3 homes, one of which subsequently burned. Seven homes were destroyed by landslides and debris flows in the Santa Ana Mountain Canyons. Tornados damaged several homes in the Lake Forest and Placentia areas. Heavy rains January 17-19th caused a slope to fail in San Clemente, destroying 6 houses and damaging 160 others. A section of the bluffs along the ocean in the San Clemente area gave way, and not only buried the Pacific Coast Highway and Amtrak Rail lines, but also destroyed 5 homes.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, p. 26.)
CSUSB on Riverside County: “January 5-20, 1993. During this time period over 10 inches of rain fell in the western part of Riverside County. This flooding event resulted in damage to roads, bridges, homes, and businesses and seven people lost their lives. Many others were evacuated or rescued from their homes. On January 19th Riverside County was declared in a state of emergency by the Governor and on Feb. 3rd 1993 the County was declared a disaster area by the President. Clogged and backed up flood control channels and culverts resulted in some flooding as well. The hardest hit area was Cabazon which was isolated due to flooding by San Gorgonio River. Roads and residences in this area experienced flooding. In the area of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, the Whitewater River claimed at least 3 cars which were swept away by the river. All 7 deaths were due to flooded roads. The area of Old Town Temecula and Old Town Murrieta were also hit hard by flooding. Many people were evacuated from homes when Murrieta Creek flowed up to 4 feet in homes and businesses. Estimated costs due to flooding are set beyond a million dollars.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, pp. 36-37.)
CSUSB on San Bernardino County: “January and February, 1993. A series of winter storms brought heavy rains to the area, especially to the high desert communities of Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville. This is the 4th time in two years this area is hit hard by flooding. This storm damaged roads, utilities, and 340 homes were flooded. 6 houses in the Victorville area lost the backyards when the Mojave River overflowed. Part of one house was also lost. In the Redlands area, 2 major bridges over the Santa Ana River were damaged. Orange Street suffered erosion damage. Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake, and Lake Gregory were all filled to capacity.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, p. 51.)
CSUSB on San Diego County: “January and February, 1993. San Diego County declared a disaster area by Governor Wilson. Flooding in the areas of Fallbrook, Bonita and Lakeside areas are due to heavy rainstorms. 15 people died as a result of this event in their attempt to cross the flooding Tijuana River. All roads in the De Luz and Rock Mountain areas were flooded. 1,000 people were isolated in the Fallbrook area for 5 days as all access roads were damaged. San Luis Rey River also caused damages on its way through the city of Oceanside to the ocean. Camp Pendleton was flooded when Santa Margarita River overflowed. The flood damage here was severe. The runway, aircraft and outbuilding were flooded with water and mud up to 10 deep and
the runway remained under 4 feet of water for days.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, p. 58.)
CSUSB on Santa Barbara County: “January and February, 1993. A series of winter storms hit Santa Barbara County that caused some flooding especially in the Lompoc and Buellton areas. President Clinton declared Santa Barbara a disaster area on February 3, 1993 due to this flooding event. This was a very wet winter for Santa Barbara, and although the rivers have been full, flooding was not severe. Three dams in the County spilled during this event; Cachuma Dam, Gibraltar Dam and Juncal Dam. 12 creeks received damages, and $1.4 mil in damages in costs.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, p. 65.)
CSUSB on Ventura County: “January and February, 1993. Minor flooding occurred in Ventura County, with localized flooding in the Live Oaks Acres area when Coyote Creek overflowed and flooded Santa Ana Road. Mudslides, and minor road wash outs were the extent of the problems in Ventura County from this event.” (California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009 modification, p. 71.)
FEMA: “Southern California (Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego Counties, and the City of Fillmore (Ventura County). The first major flood event occurred on January 5 in San Diego County, along the Tijuana River at the Mexico Border. At least twenty-four storm-related deaths occurred in San Diego County between January 8 and March 3, 1993, including at least fifteen persons who drowned attempting to cross the swollen Tijuana River illegally from Mexico into the United States. All roads in the remote areas of De Luz and the Rock Mountain area were inundated by flood waters. Flooding in the Fallbrook area of northern San Diego County isolated approximately 1,000 people for five days. The rain swollen San Luis Rey River caused significant damage as it made its way through the city of Oceanside to the sea.
“Imperial County suffered flooding damage to approximately 650 miles of County-maintained gravel roads.
“In San Bernardino County, the high desert communities of Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville flooded for the fourth time in two years. Storms damaged roads, public utilities, and at least 340 homes in the area. In the Redlands area, a major bridge over the Santa Ana River was damaged.
“In Orange County, a 25-acre landslide in Anaheim Hills destroyed three homes and forced evacuation of 45 others. More than 100 wells were drilled to dewater the landslide and slow its movement. Elsewhere in Anaheim Hills at least seven other homes were affected by landslides. In Laguna Beach, a landslide destroyed three homes, one of which burned. In San Clemente, extremely heavy rains on January 17-19 triggered slope failures that affected 160 homes, six of which were lost. On February 22, five more homes were destroyed when a portion of the ocean bluff collapsed and buried both the Pacific Coast Highway and the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Seven homes were destroyed by landslides and debris flows in canyons along the Santa Ana Mountains. In the Lake Forest and Placentia areas, tornadoes damaged several homes.
“In Riverside County, more than 200 business and residences were affected by flooding, primarily in the cities of Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Temecula, Norco and Murrieta. In parts of the country, fast-moving water totally removed more than twenty miles of road.
“In Los Angeles County, floods caused $14 million in damage to county roads. In Pacific Palisades, three homes were destroyed and four damaged by renewed land-sliding. One home was destroyed and two structures threatened in the Mt. Washington area…. [pp. 4-5.]
“As flooding displaced people from their homes, the American Red Cross activated their Mass Care feeding program and set up fifteen shelters in Southern California. From January 8 through January 16, the American Red Cross housed 1,125 people in their temporary shelter facilities and served over 10,000 meals….” [p. 6.] (FEMA. Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team Report…[CA] Severe Winter Storms, Jan 5-March 20, 1993.)
NCDC: “A very wet series of major winter storms hit southern California for about two weeks. The storms brought heavy rain, mountain snows, gusty winds, thunderstorms, small tornadoes, rock slides, mud slides, flooding and local flash flooding. The Los Angeles Civic Center had 11.77 inches of rain for the month, which was the third wettest January on record, with many mountain areas receiving between 20 to 50 inches of rain. The storms brought many rivers and streams to bankful and flooded many low spots. The series of storms produced the second longest number of consecutive days of rain (13 days), in many parts of southern California…” (NCDC, . Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan 1993, p. 13.)
USGS: “From January 6 to February 28, 1993, a series of storms produced 20 to 40 inches of rain over much of the southern California coastal and mountain areas and more than 52 inches at some stations in the San Bernardino Mountains. These storms, which coincided with a reappearance of weak “El Nino” conditions in the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, were driven by a regional atmospheric low-pressure system off the coast of northern California and Oregon. In southern California, precipitation intensified because a high-pressure area that extended over Alaska, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Western States concentrated this low-pressure system farther south than usual and held it in place just offshore, cutting off a series of storms from the general weather circulation. Tropical moisture was supplied to the arriving storms from the southern jetstream, which crossed the coast from the southwest at about the latitude of San Diego. Rainfall was further intensified by the influence of the east-west-trending Transverse Ranges, causing the heaviest precipitation in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. Precipitation also was very heavy in the Laguna Mountains of San Diego County…
“The first major peak streamflows occurred January 6-7 as a result of heavy rainfall on a fairly substantial snowpack that had accumulated in December 1992. The recurrence intervals (average interval of time in which a given peak flow will be equaled or exceeded once) of flows in the Mojave and Santa Ana River Basins were about 25 to 50 years. In the Victorville area, the Mojave River overtopped a levee, causing damage to a housing tract. This reach of the river channel had become heavily overgrown with vegetation as a result of the drought conditions of the past 6 years and the lack of channel-clearing high flows.
“The rain continued, and a second major runoff peak occurred late on January 16 as the low-pressure system moved slightly south before moving to the east on January 18. The most severe flooding was in the Santa Margarita and San Luis Rey River Basins…in northern San Diego and southwestern Riverside Counties. In the 24-hour period beginning at 8 a.m. (Pacific standard time) on January 16, 6.80 inches of rain was recorded at the Santa Rosa Plateau weather station in the Santa Margarita watershed, and similar rainfall intensities were reported throughout the area.
“A nearly identical storm pattern developed in early February as a stationary atmospheric low-pressure system centered off the Oregon coast again generated storms. Major storms and resultant runoff peaks occurred February 8 and from February 18 to 19. Although the peak streamflows were only in the 25- to 50-year recurrence interval range, significant local flooding occurred because of the saturated conditions in the watersheds due to the January storms. Major bank failures occurred along the Mojave River in the Silver Lakes area, about 10 miles north of Victorville, as a result of sustained high flow in the normally dry channel.
“Rainfall intensity decreased significantly as the storms came onshore and moved from the southwest to the northeast… During this 2-month storm series, more than 200 percent of the average annual rainfall fell on the mountains nearest the coast; farther inland, the north side of the San Bernardino Mountains received 127 percent.
“The highest peak flows on the Mojave and Santa Ana Rivers…occurred January 6-7 as a result of rapid melting of the accumulated snowpack. The three subsequent peaks were slightly lower, but nearly of the same magnitude. By comparison, the highest peak in De Luz Creek in the Santa Margarita River Basin occurred January 16; it was nearly an order of magnitude higher than the other three major peaks. Peak flows on January 16 exceeded a 100-year recurrence interval flood at several stream-gaging stations in the basin….” (USGS James C. Bowers). Water Fact Sheet: Southern California Storms and Floods of January-February 1993 (Open-File Report 93-411). USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior, July 1993, pp. 1-2 of 2-pages.)
Newspapers
Jan 8, wire reports: “Los Angeles – Coast Guard helicopters rescued 10 people trapped by floodwaters, and mudslides crashed into homes as a Pacific storm walloped Southern California. At least three people died in weather-related accidents. ‘Some roads are covered; some houses are completely under water,’ Coast Guard pilot Lt. Gene Adgate said. ‘Some cars are just gone. One car was floating down the river.’
“Thursday’s storm also created havoc in the Mexican border town of Tijuana, where flooding forced hundreds from hillside slums. At least 14 deaths were blamed on the weather.
“Gov. Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency in San Diego County as floodwaters forced people from their homes along the Tijuana River. The storm has dumped up to 6 inches of rain in valleys and up to 12 inches in the mountains since it began Tuesday night [Jan 5].” (Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, WI. “Ten rescued from California floodwaters.” 1-8-1993, 5A.)
Jan 10, AP: “….Southern Californians braced for another wallop of heavy rains today as flood-ravaged communities continued to mop up debris and a massive sewage spill shut down beaches along the Santa Monica Bay for the weekend.
“The death toll since the storms hit the region rose to at least 18 Friday with the discovery of a Tijuana man whose body was dragged from flood waters just north of the border Friday. Three others have died of weather-related deaths in Southern California and 14 have died in Tijuana since storms hit the region Wednesday [Jan 6], sending mud and rocks sliding into homes and highways and turning parched desert washes into raging torrents.
“Heavy rains late Thursday night and early Friday forced sanitation officials to release 4 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Ballona Creek, which empties into the Santa Monica Bay….” (AP. “Storm alert reduced; death toll at 18.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 1-10-1993, A5.)
Jan 16, Orange County Register: “Enough already! For the 10th consecutive day, rain washed over the Orange County on Friday and was expected to continue falling on saturated hillsides, riverbeds and creeks throughout the weekend….The National Weather Service said Orange County – which has received about 7 inches of rain already this month – could get another inch today, beginning before dawn. More rain is expected Sunday….Friday’s rain made life miserable for thousands of locals, flooding or closing parts of eight major roadways during evening rush hour, knocking out power in part of Laguna Beach and causing two local rivers – the Santa Ana and the San Gabriel – to flow dangerously fast.” (Orange County Register (Gary Robbins), CA. “Forecast stirs fear of slides, flooding. Local emergency declared in OC, LA.” 1-16-1993, p. 1.)
Jan 18, AP: “Los Angeles (AP) – After nearly two weeks of relentless rain, Southern California looked ahead to a respite today from the deluge blamed for at least six deaths and millions of dollars in property damage….Some of the most extensive flooding was found at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base near San Diego, where water as deep as 15 feet covered hundreds of acres, including an airfield, a base spokesman said.” (AP. “Six dead or missing from storms in west.” The Evening Review, East Liverpool, OH, 1-18-1993, p. 14.)
Jan 20, AP: “….In Southern California and norther Baja California, Mexico, rescue and work crews took advantage of a respite in the weather to search for flood victims, excavate the remains of damaged homes and try to shore up unstable hillsides. At least 41 people died [most in Mexico] and others remained the subject of searches. More than $164 million. in damage was caused by the 13-day rainy siege that ended with a fierce thunderstorm bringing rain and tornadoes to California, Arizona and Mexico border areas….
“In California, at least nine people were killed in the most recent series of storms that poured ashore starting last weekend. The dead included six people killed in flood waters over the weekend in Temecula, a man working at a San Diego County dump in Chula Vista who was killed instantly Monday when he was struck by lightning and the San Diego County teen-ager whose body was recovered Tuesday [Jan 19].” (AP. “New storm due in N. California. Death toll mounts as skies clear in southern state…” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 1-20-1993, A2.)
Feb 8: “A powerful Pacific storm pelted Southern California today, flooding streets and triggering mudslides, power outages and freeway accidents. The storm was expected to continue into late Tuesday or early Wednesday, bringing up to two inches of rain over much of the Los Angeles area, and as much as five inches in coastal and mountain areas….” (Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. “Southern storm.” 2-8-1993, p. A2.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Damage mounts as storms continue to pound the state.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA, 1-8-1993, B5. Accessed 8-7-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1993/01-08/page-37?tag
Associated Press. “New storm due in N. California. Death toll mounts as skies clear in southern state, northern Mexico.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 1-20-1993, A2. Accessed 4-4-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=296412776&sterm
Associated Press. “Six dead or missing from storms in west.” The Evening Review, East Liverpool, OH, 1-18-1993, p. 14. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/east-liverpool/east-liverpool-evening-review/1993/01-18/page-14?tag
Associated Press. “State rushes repairs as 3rd storm blows in.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 2-22-1993, 1. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/eureka/eureka-times-standard/1993/02-22?tag
Associated Press. “Storm alert reduced; death toll at 18.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 1-10-1993, A5. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/eureka/eureka-times-standard/1993/01-10/page-5?tag
Associated Press, Los Angeles. “Winter storm hits California; four dead, one still missing.” Del Rio News-Herald, TX, 1-10-1993, p. 6. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/del-rio/del-rio-news-herald/1993/02-10/page-6?tag
Associated Press, Los Angeles. “Winter storm pounds Southern California.” Kokomo Tribune, IN, 2-9-1993, p. 8. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/kokomo/kokomo-tribune/1993/02-09/page-8?tag
California State University Santa Barbara. AFTF [Alluvial Fan Task Force] Study Area Flood History. 7-6-2009, modification, 72 pages. Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://aftf.csusb.edu/documents/AFTF%20Study%20Area%20Flood%20History_ALL.pdf
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team Report for the California Severe Winter Storms, January 5 – March 20, 1993 (FEMA-979-DR-CA). San Francisco, CA: FEMA Region IX, 3-29-1993.
Leader-Telegram (wire reports), Eau Claire, WI. “Ten rescued from California floodwaters.” 1-8-1993, 5A. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/eau-claire/eau-claire-leader-telegram/1993/01-08/page-5?tag
National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan 1993. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 4-4-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-F9E826C4-AB22-45BC-809B-21A868CBC655.pdf
National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 2, Feb 1993. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-B20E28A9-CE25-4AA0-9562-23B54520825F.pdf
National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 3, March 1993. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-F1B40929-79F5-483A-BC2C-EDA0A3AD84DA.pdf
National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. “Search Results for All Counties in California All Available Event Types…between 01/05/1993 and 01/22/1993 (18 days).” Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=ALL&beginDate_mm=01&beginDate_dd=05&beginDate_yyyy=1993&endDate_mm=01&endDate_dd=22&endDate_yyyy=1993&county=ALL&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=6%2CCALIFORNIA
Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Body found in creek near Mount Baldy.” 1-24-1993, p. A3. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1993/01-24/page-108?tag
Orange County Register), Santa Ana, CA (Gary Robbins). “Forecast stirs fear of slides, flooding. Local emergency declared in OC, LA.” 1-16-1993, p. 1. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1993/01-16/page-5?tag
Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA (Tom Berg). “`Hardest decision I’ve ever made.’” 2-10-1993, p. 1. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1993/02-10?tag
Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Rains cause flooding, evacuations.” 1-17-1993, A3. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1993/01-17/page-67?tag
Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. “Southern storm.” 2-8-1993, p. A2. Accessed 8-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/eureka/eureka-times-standard/1993/02-08/page-2?tag
U.S. Geological Survey (James C. Bowers). Water Fact Sheet: Southern California Storms and Floods of January-February 1993 (Open-File Report 93-411). USGS, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, July 1993, 2-pages. Accessed 8-5-2016 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1993/0411/report.pdf
[1] Notes one of the victims was a 3½ week only baby boy.
[2] “Besides Sunday’s deaths [two drownings had been noted], at least nine other people died in storm-related accidents in Southern California.” We have not taken account of these, or most of these, deaths, in that we do not have more detailed descriptions.
[3] Highlighted in yellow to note this was a 2nd storm system and was not a drowning death.
[4] We assume this is probably reference to death noted in press of Marlan Weech, 65, who was washed off a sailboat Feb 7 five miles off San Pedro Marina during a winter storm. A friend tried to save him but as darkness closed in and swells were going over his head, he said “I put my finger up to his artery and he had no pulse. That’s when I had to make a hard decision. I had to let him go.’” (Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA (Tom Berg). “`Hardest decision I’ve ever made.’” 2-10-1993, p. 1.)
[5] AP. “Damage mounts as storms continue to pound the state.” Orange County Register, CA, 1-8-1993, B5.
[6] “…traffic accidents on flooded streets resulted in several injuries and one death….A multicar collision on Pacific Coast Highway at Irvine Cove Drive in Laguna Beach killed Arvind Kumar, 49, of Laguna Beach.” (Orange County Register, CA. “Rains cause flooding, evacuations.” 1-17-1993, A3.)
[7] Notes that the driver was attempting to ford the rain-swollen creek.
[8] “Near Temecula, Calif., three adults and two children apparently drowned Saturday night trying to cross a washed-out section of road.” (AP. “Six dead or missing from storms in west.” The Evening Review, East Liverpool, OH, 1-18-1993, p. 14.)
[9] News report: “A search-and-rescue team looking for a missing man found a body Saturday [Jan 23] in San Antonio Creek…Searchers were looking for Mark Rubio, 25, of Upland, who fell into the rain-swollen creek Monday [Jan 18]….The body was found near the Mount Baldy ranger station, less than one mile downstream from where a friend said Rubio fell in…” (Orange County Register, CA. “Body found in creek near Mount Baldy.” 1-24-1993, p. A3.)
[10] Washington Post (Tod Robberson). “Peso Crisis Spurs Migrants’ Quest for Dollars.” 1-28-1993. “….`Twenty-six people drowned in flood waters in 1993 because the Mexican police refused to respond,’ said William Pink, chief of the Border Patrol’s Imperial Beach, Calif., sector.” We highlight in yellow to denote that we do not use in tally in that the time-frame is not necessarily restricted to the flooding occurring in Jan-March 3. (Probably is, but not sure.)
[11] “At least twenty-four storm-related deaths occurred in San Diego County between January 8 and March 3, 1993, including at least fifteen persons who drowned attempting to cross the swollen Tijuana River illegally from Mexico into the United States.”
[12] FEMA source has the time-frame as Jan 8-March 3. CSUSB source has time frame as Jan 5-Feb 28.
[13] LA Times (Eric Malnic and Maia Davis). “Storm Lashes Area, Triggers Slides, Floods. 2-9-1993.” “….the number of illegal immigrants who have drowned trying to cross the storm-swollen Tijuana River Levee into U.S. territory continued to rise. Horseback riders discovered the bodies to two men floating in the flood control channel Sunday afternoon. Mexican authorities identified one as Hector Hernandez, 43, of Puebla, Mexico, who was swept away by the current a week ago as he and his wife attempted to ford the channel using a able strung across the water. The other body remained unidentified, as did a third body found by Mexican police in the channel just south of the international boundary. At least eight people have drowned at the U.S.-Mexico border since the rains began a month ago. About a dozen migrants have been rescued from the channel. Another 18 migrants remain missing, some of them apparently last seen as they struggled in waters that are up to five-feet deep.” We use Jan 5-Feb 2 date range in that we know the first storm was on Jan 5. The Feb 9 article notes the most recent body discovered was “last week,” thus we go back one week to Feb 2.
[14] AP. “Winter storm hits California; four dead, one still missing.” Del Rio News-Herald, TX, 1-10-1993, p. 6.
[15] Associated Press. “State rushes repairs as 3rd storm blows in.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 2-22-1993, 1.
[16] National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 2, Feb 1993, p. 12.
[17] National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 2, Feb 1993, pp. 11-12. An AP article notes “In Ventura County, the body of a 49-year-old farm worker was found tangled in branches late Monday [Feb 8] about half a mile downstream from where a flooded creek swept him from a tractor. A co-worker was rescued after clinging to a tree…” (AP. “Winter storm pounds Southern California.” Kokomo Tribune, IN, 2-9-1993, p. 8.)
[18] Associated Press. “State rushes repairs as 3rd storm blows in.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 2-22-1993, 1.
[19] The CSUSB writes there were seven deaths in Riverside County, Jan 5-20 due to flooded roads and cars swept away. We have accounted separately for six of those.
[20] FEMA notes 24 weather-related deaths and we have been able to account for eighteen of those separately.