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Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall along the Baja California Peninsula on Sunday, with the rare Pacific storm battering northern Mexico, southern California and the southwestern US with torrential rains and high winds, which could rack up more than $2 billion in damage.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency and mobilized the National Guard and state crews, and the National Weather Service warned of excessive rainfall that could trigger mudslides and flash flooding and down trees and power lines. The storm, which was downgraded to a hurricane on Sunday, has triggered California’s first tropical storm warning.
Rain was falling over Baja California, Mexico and parts of southern California, with the worst part of the storm expected to hit later in the day and overnight. One person was reported to have drowned in Mexico when a car was swept away by an overflowing creek, the Associated Press reported, and there has already been some flooding along the Baja California peninsula.
While there will be some wind damage across the region, the worst impact will be from torrential rains, which could cause US losses ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion, said Chuck Watson, a modeler. from Enki Research in a blog post. .
“Rain is obviously the biggest news,” said Bill Deger, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., a commercial forecasting company. Although rainfall amounts can range from 4 inches in Los Angeles and San Diego to 20 inches in parts of Mexico, “it’s certainly going to be enough to cause life-threatening flooding.”
California braces for ‘catastrophic’ flooding from hurricane
Hillary could bring a year’s worth of rain in one day to some areas, and could even break records in some areas, forecasters said, in the latest bout of severe weather around the world. Over the past 10 years, flooding has caused the most deaths in US tropical systems.
At a press conference Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and urged residents to “stay safe, stay home and stay informed.”
Janice Hahn, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, warned residents about the risk of heavy rains downing power lines or downing trees on roads or other structures. She urged local stores to close and businesses to allow employees to work from home Monday so they don’t have to hit the road, and also advised people not to go to the beach to watch the storms.
“At this point, if you haven’t moved from where you are, stay where you are,” he said in an interview on 97.1 KNX News.
San Diego closed beaches and issued similar advisories, urging people to stay off the roads and take other precautions.
To follow the latest track of Hurricane Hilary, click here.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and around the US, the vast majority of them to or from airports on the West Coast, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego, according to FlightAware, a tracking service. of airlines. The MetroLink commuter rail around Los Angeles has reduced service on Sunday, as has San Diego’s Coaster service.
Some highways in Southern California have also been closed. Hilary will weaken and likely remain a tropical storm as it moves north later on Sunday, Deger said.
Regardless of its state, heavy rain will continue to fall, especially in the mountains. Flood watches and warnings stretch from California to Idaho, the National Weather Service said. By Tuesday, the worst should be over.
In addition to Hilary, Tropical Storm Emily formed in the Atlantic, along with an unnamed tropical depression, the hurricane center said. Neither storm currently poses a threat to the mainland, but they are signs that the Atlantic is entering its most active time of the year.
— With the help of Sarah McGregor
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