Portal:Tropical cyclones/Featured article/1939 California tropical storm

The 1939 California tropical storm, also called the 1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm, El Cordonazo, The Lash of St. Francis was a tropical cyclone that hit Southern California in September, 1939. Formerly a hurricane, it is the only known tropical storm to make landfall in California in the twentieth century. The only other tropical cyclone to directly affect California is the 1858 San Diego Hurricane, and only three other Eastern Pacific tropical cyclones have caused gale-force winds in the Continental United States. The tropical storm caused heavy flooding, leaving many dead, mostly at sea.

The storm dropped heavy rain on California, with 5.66 in falling in Los Angeles (5.24 inches in 24 hours) and 11.60 in recorded at Mount Wilson, both September records. The total amount of damage was $2 million (1939 USD, $26.2 million 2005 USD). People were caught unprepared by the storm, which was described as "sudden". Some people were still on the beach at Long Beach when the wind reached 40 miles per hour, at which time lifeguards closed the beach. Schools were closed there. Out at sea, the Coast Guard and Navy conducted rescue operations, saving dozens of people. In response to Californians' unpreparedness, the Weather Bureau established a forecast office for southern California, which began operations in February of 1940.

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