A Tropical Storm Watch in Southern California as Hurricane Hilary barrels through the Northern Hemisphere is in Full Sweeping Abundance
The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for southern California today as Hurricane Hilary barrels toward the US and Mexico. This is the first time that an alert has been issued for sunny Southern California, which is more prone to fires this time of year than hurricanes.
Extreme weather, such as heavy precipitation and heatwaves, have increased in intensity in recent decades. There is high confidence that human induced climate change from greenhouse emissions, is the main driver,” World Meteorological Organization climate expert Alvaro Silva said in a media briefing and press release today. This is the new normal and it does not come as a surprise.
“It is too soon to determine the location and magnitude of these impacts, so interests in these areas should keep an eye on Hilary,” the NHC advised.
The last time a tropical storm hit the Golden State was in 1939, and it soaked Los Angeles with more than a foot 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.
There are preparations for storms in Southern California. Anderson says that many residents already have plans in place to leave if a fire or earthquake happen.
The KPBS environment reporter says there is a lot of concern about this storm’s impact on the city. It’s a quickly growing city built on a hillside surrounded by canyons. Mudslides can be more likely in Tijuana than in San Diego due to the higher chance of heavy rains.
Flood Watches in the Deserts of Southern California, Nevada, and Southwest Arizona During the Supersonic Breakout of Hurricane Hilary
“1977, Kathleen.” 1997, Eudora,” Tardy lists, “there’s not many that we can look back historically that even had a forecast coming right at us.”
“We’re talking about the potential for multiple years worth of precipitation in just two days in some parts of the deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona,” Swain said.
Flood watches are in effect from Mexico, north to Ventura, and inland to western Arizona, as torrential rains from what remains of Hurricane Hilary are expected to impact the West Coast and Southwest through the weekend.