As the powerful storm Hilary rushed to the southwestern part of the United States entering from Mexico, heavy rains lashed California Sunday causing panic among people after authorities launched evacuation efforts to save lives amid a life-threatening flood warning.
Mexican authorities reported that at least one person was dead after flood water swept roads. Images on social media showed raging torrents gushing down city streets that have been turned into rivers.
Officials warned residents to stay indoors and keep emergency supplies in hand. Airport operations in San Diego and Los Angeles were forced to halt with sporting events in the area cancelled.
About 250 flights set for Sunday at the San Diego International Airport have been called off and another 382 Monday, according to the FlightAware website.
Storm Hilary, which made landfall earlier in the day in the northern part of the Baja California peninsula, has been weakening over the last 48 hours.
Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) was quoted in Reuters report that it is still set to be the wettest storm ever to hit the US Southwest.
People walk in the rain along the Pacific Ocean with Tropical Storm Hilary approaching in San Diego County on August 20, 2023, in Imperial Beach, California. — AFP
People walk in the rain along the Pacific Ocean with Tropical Storm Hilary approaching in San Diego County on August 20, 2023, in Imperial Beach, California. — AFP
“This is a dangerous storm,” said Taylor, who works for NWS’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. “It’s not just the rain totals but the intensity.”
Hilary is set to dump vast amounts of water on many parts of the US Southwest that are more accustomed to dry conditions.
Areas such as Palm Springs, California, which typically gets around 4.6 inches of rain in an entire year, could receive 6-10 inches from this one storm.
California’s Death Valley area, which receives only about 2.2 inches of rain per year, could receive 3-4 inches from this event.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory: “Hilary was carrying top sustained winds of 60 mph (96 kph) and its center was forecast to barrel over the northern portion of the peninsula and then move across Southern California on Sunday afternoon.”
Storm surges — when the ocean is pushed inland — could produce coastal flooding in parts of Baja California and the storm was carrying heavy rain that could cause catastrophic flooding in some areas, it added.
