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On Sunday, after passing through northwestern Mexico, Tropical Storm Hilary arrived in the state of California, where authorities warned of severe flooding in the southwestern United States.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) the core of the storm was in California with winds of 95 kilometers per hour after having crossed the Mexican peninsula of Baja California.
In its latest bulletin, the NHC warned of heavy flooding over Baja California and parts of the southwest of the country until Monday.
Life-threatening and locally catastrophic flash flooding is expected this evening across southern California as Tropical Storm Hilary advances north and brings and produces very heavy rainfall total. Heavy rains and flash flooding concerns will be increasing over southern Nevada. https://t.co/yqmxvXXQPQ
— National Weather Service (@NWS)
August 21, 2023
Given the danger of the heavy rains that storm Hilary would cause, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency in much of the southern part of the state.
“This is an unprecedented weather phenomenon,” warned Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
California’s State of Emergency for Tropical Storm Hilary is expanding to support response and recovery in Mono County. pic.twitter.com/iRGjTJ21dT
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor)
August 21, 2023
Local authorities ordered beach closures and issued flash flood and even tornado warnings for Hilary.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported that the weather phenomenon will have a serious impact and threat to Southern California, and called on the population to take the storm seriously and listen to local authorities.
Prepárese para posibles apagones si se encuentra en la trayectoria de #Hilary:
– Cargue sus dispositivos
– Reúna linternas, baterías y cargadores portátiles
– Apague los dispositivos para evitar daños por sobrecargas
– Coloque generadores afuera, al menos a 20 pies de su casa pic.twitter.com/CRF6HkBQss— FEMA en español (@FEMAespanol)
August 21, 2023
California’s authorities opened five storm shelters and deployed more than 7,500 troops, including several hundred National Guard soldiers, as well as swift water rescue teams.
As Hilary passed through Mexico, rains caused by the storm left one person dead and infrastructure damaged in the southern part of the Baja California peninsula.
Last Saturday, Hilary was downgraded from a category 4 to a category 1 hurricane. Despite this, it caused heavy rains in the Baja California peninsula and in a large part of Mexico, including Mexico City, with flooded streets and fallen trees.
