Hilary moves north and leaves Southern California underwater
Tropical Hurricane Hilary tosses Are Moving Toward the Baja California Peninsula, and California is Under a First-ever Tropical Storm Warning
Hilary is expected to remain a tropical storm before it reaches southern California — meaning wind speeds are expected to be between 39 to 73 miles per hour. Along with those winds, forecasters warn the heavy rain associated with the system will pose serious threat of “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to the region.
Hilary, which was not a major threat until Sunday, is now moving toward the Baja California peninsula. The person drowned in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia during the storm. Mexico’s hurricane watch has ended, but the Baja California coast is still under threat of flash floods.
As as of 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, the storm was about 220 miles south-southeast of San Diego and traveling at 25 miles per hour. It is expected to sweep across southern California by the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Portions of southern California and southern Nevada are expected to average between 3 to 6 inches of rainfall — but could receive up to 10 inches. Some parts will likely accumulate more rain in just a matter of hours than they typically do in an entire year, forecasters said. Winds will also be particularly strong and gusty on elevated terrain.
Much of southern California is under its first-ever tropical storm warning, given that the region is most frequented by disasters like wildfires and earthquakes. The strongest storm to hit southern California in 1939 was said to be the last one.
A state of emergency was issued in several California counties on Saturday night. Some of those communities, like parts of San Bernardino County, have already received evacuation orders.
The Flood Operations Center, Cal Fire and the California National Guard are prepared for flood threats. State officials also urged residents to sign up for flood and evacuation alerts from their counties, as well as prepare their pets and family in case they need to evacuate.
Los Angeles County, California, and the Los Angeles Unified School District Closed for the First Tropical Cyclone in Nine Decades
The first tropical storm to hit the region in nine decades dropped as much as 7 inches of rainwater in some mountain regions and up to 4 inches in lower lying areas.
The storm was re-classified as a post-tropical cyclone early Monday. The center of the storm is expected to travel north through Nevada today. Wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour were reported in Las Vegas. There will be flash flood warnings in effect until 6:30 a.m.
The storm traveled from Baja California in Mexico into the United States, hitting the coast, the mountains, and the city of Palm Springs.
Flash flood watches in Los Angeles County remained in effect until 3 a.m. Monday PDT. A flash flood warning was in effect for the areas to the east and north of LA.
“Our message today remains the same. Stay safe. Stay informed. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at the Sunday news conference that they should stay home. She said she’d spoken with Vice President Kamala Harris, who offered federal support.
The Los Angeles Unified School District canceled all classes and before and after school programs on Monday. The school district is 700 square miles. There will be impact in some areas,” said Alberto Carvalho, the district’s superintendent. We cannot look at those areas. so the prudent thing to do to avoid harm … is to call off schools for [Monday].”
Part of Interstate 10, which cuts through the valley west of Joshua National Tree National Park, were closed because of flooding and debris, according to the California Department of Transportation.
