US

US National Hurricane Centre issues its first-ever tropical storm watch for southern California

Hurricane Hilary may cause ‘life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding’

Community loads up sandbags ahead of Hurricane Hilary’s arrival to southern California. Photograph: Mark Abramson/The New York Times
Community loads up sandbags ahead of Hurricane Hilary’s arrival to southern California. Photograph: Mark Abramson/The New York Times
Judson Jones
Sat Aug 19 2023 - 11:50

The United States National Hurricane Centre has issued its first-ever tropical storm watch for southern California as Hurricane Hilary, a category 4 storm, barrels towards the state.

The hurricane, described as large and powerful, may cause “life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding”, meteorologists said.

A watch means that tropical conditions are possible within the area over the next 48 hours. It is in place for the south west of the state, from the California-Mexico border to the Orange County and Los Angeles County line and for Catalina Island, forecasters said.

Los Angeles officials have warned residents to prepare for the approach of Hurricane Hilary, the first such storm to menace southern California since 1939.

The system had sustained winds near 209km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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Hilary formed as a tropical storm off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico, on Wednesday and began moving west-northwest toward the Baja California peninsula as it strengthened.

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Although the storm’s intensity was expected to fluctuate, it is expected to weaken but remain a hurricane.

It will probably then become a tropical storm before reaching Southern California by Sunday night.

Hilary’s exact landfall probably will not make much of a difference when it comes to the expected hazards in the region, meteorologists said.

The hurricane will bring up to 6 inches of rain, with isolated amounts up to 10 inches, across portions of the Baja California peninsula through Sunday night, with the possibility of flash flooding.

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Portions of Southern California and southern Nevada will record similar rainfall totals through Tuesday morning, which could lead to “dangerous and locally catastrophic flooding,” forecasters said.

A flood watch was issued for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including Catalina Island. Other areas across the west can expect a few inches of rain.

Forecasters said strong winds would occur ahead of the storm’s center.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.