On Sunday (August 20), Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall along Mexico’s northwestern Pacific Coast, accompanied by maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour, leading to California experiencing its impacts. Additionally, the storm brought heavy rainfall to the typically arid southwestern United States.
Officials have issued warnings about the potential for life-threatening flooding. Reports of flash flooding have emerged in Los Angeles, and tornado warnings were also issued for certain areas.
According to the National Weather Service, a “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding situation” was unfolding from Point Mugu and Camarillo, extending eastward through the Thousand Oaks and Woodland Hills region and across the mountains of Los Angeles County.
A flash flood warning remained in effect for downtown Los Angeles and Los Angeles County until 6:00 am ET on Monday. More than seven million people are estimated to be affected by this warning.
Local reports highlighted several locations that were susceptible to flash flooding, including Thousand Oaks, Malibu, Lake Los Angeles, Acton, Wrightwood, Burbank, Palmdale, Mount Wilson, Pasadena, North Hollywood, Griffith Park, Santa Clarita, Universal City, Van Nuys, Lancaster, Hollywood, Alhambra, Northridge, Downtown Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills.
In response to the imminent weather conditions, schools in the Los Angeles area and San Diego will be closed on Monday. Beaches were also ordered to be closed, prompting residents to rush to stores to stock up on essentials like water.
The US National Hurricane Center reported that the center of Tropical Storm Hilary had made landfall north of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
Amid this catastrophic weather, another natural event occurred as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck near the southern California town of Ojai. As of now, there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
During a news conference in Los Angeles on Sunday, Governor Gavin Newsom mentioned that US President Joe Biden commended the “extraordinary mutual aid system” that was in action in California. In a subsequent online statement, Biden expressed readiness to provide additional assistance as needed and urged people to heed the warnings from state and local officials.
Tropical Storm Hilary is notable for becoming the first tropical storm in the state since Nora in 1997. It is also only the fourth storm of tropical storm strength or greater to traverse through the state. Initially reaching Category 4, the second-highest level on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, Hilary was subsequently downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved toward the densely populated Mexican border city of Tijuana.
Despite the weakening, Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), emphasized the seriousness of the dangers associated with the storm.
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