California gets its first tropical storm watch
The New Normal: Warm Water and Climate Change in the Eastern Pacific and the Californian Panifa-Corridor, A Climate Expert Advised
California is spared from hurricanes due to cooler waters off its shores. Tropical storms gather strength from heat energy in warm water, and one hasn’t made landfall in California since 1939 (before officials started issuing alerts for named storms). The Eastern Pacific is warm this season because of climate change and El Nio. And warmer air can also hold more moisture, adding to the rising flood risk in California as global temperatures rise.
Heavy precipitation and heatwaves have increased in their intensity in recent decades. The main driver of climate change is greenhouse emissions, according to a World Meteorological Organization climate expert. “This is the new normal and does not come as a surprise.”
“Although it is too soon to determine the location and magnitude of these impacts, interests in these areas should monitor the progress of Hilary and updates to the forecast,” the NHC advised.
Los Angeles, California, was hit by a tropical storm on Oct. 2, 1858, the last known hurricane hitting the West Coast of the Golden State
The last time a tropical storm hit the Golden State was in 1939 when Los Angeles was drenched with over five inches of rain in 24 hours. Flooding from the storm killed 45 people and another 48 were killed out at sea. And at one point, the Eastern Coachella Valley was under 2 feet of water.
The only known hurricane to hit the West Coast grazed San Diego on Oct. 2, 1858, with winds as high as 75 mph, just above the threshold for a hurricane.
