Aha Dua Permata: Weakened Hilary still posing serious threat to Southern California and Southwest

Monday 21 August 2023

Weakened Hilary still posing serious threat to Southern California and Southwest

Hilary weakened to a post-tropical cyclone early Monday after pummeling Southern California with rain over the weekend, but meteorologists warned of the continued potential for life-threatening flooding generated by the storm.

Hilary was expected to dissipate later on Monday after producing up to an additional four inches of rain across parts of California and Nevada.

A flash flood warning in Los Angeles County was in effect until to 8 a.m. local time, and another was extended until 9 a.m. for parts of San Bernardino County, where forecasters warned of low-water crossings and poor drainage that could make roads impassable. Parts of Inyo and Mono Counties, near the border with Nevada, were also under a flash flood warning for several more hours.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Fire crews rescued at least three people who were trapped by rising waters.

Schools were shut on Monday for hundreds of thousands of children in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Coachella Valley. But the University of Southern California, which reported “only isolated flooding,” said it would begin the fall semester on Monday as scheduled.

Where is flooding expected?

Hilary "is expected to produce additional rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated storm total amounts to 12 inches, across portions of Southern California and Southern Nevada through today," the hurricane center said. "Continued flash and urban flooding, locally catastrophic, is expected."

What's more, 1 to 5 inches of rain was expected across portions of Oregon and Idaho through Tuesday morning "resulting in localized, some significant, flash flooding," the center added.

In Nevada, officials remain concerned about dangerous flooding across the western Mojave Desert, which is at high risk for flash flooding, "an exceedingly rare occurrence," the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas said Sunday on social media.

Southern California was experiencing heavy rain in Los Angeles and surrounding counties, CBS News Los Angeles reported.

The National Weather Service said Ventura County was experiencing life-threatening flooding and San Bernardino, Riverside and nearby mountains were at high risk of flash floods. San Bernardino and Riverside Counties issued evacuation orders and Orange County issued evacuation warnings.

Meanwhile, the Inland Empire and mountains are at a high risk of flash flooding, with some communities expected to get 6-10 inches of rain, according to CBS Los Angeles.

How is Southern California dealing with Hilary?

As of 2 a.m. PDT Monday, Hilary was some 390 miles north of San Diego 75 miles northeast of Bakersfield, California, and racing north at 29 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.

Although no longer a hurricane, the system was still bringing heavy rainfall to the area.

It was the first time that the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Southern California, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency ahead of its arrival.

President Biden on Sunday said he has asked FEMA to deploy personnel and supplies to California. Mr. Biden also said the Coast Guard has pre-positioned aircraft to allow for rapid response and rescue efforts.

"My Administration also deployed federal personnel to Nevada to ensure the state has additional support, and we will continue to coordinate with California, Nevada, and Arizona on any resources they might need," Mr. Biden said.

On Sunday evening, Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country, announced all schools, campuses and after-school programs would be closed Monday due to the storm.

"This was not an easy decision," the district said on social media. "Los Angeles Unified acknowledges the unique, unprecedented nature of Tropical Storm Hilary, which has garnered city, county, and state declarations of emergency."

Pasadena Unified School District followed suit later Sunday night.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation on Saturday ordered a temporary closure of all San Diego and Orange County state beaches and several state parks.

Disneyland announced Saturday that parks would be closing early Sunday, with Disney California Adventure Park closing at 9 p.m., Disneyland Park closing at 10 p.m. and the Downtown Disney District will close at 11 p.m.

The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels all moved their scheduled Sunday home games to Saturday double-headers in anticipation of the storm.

When will Hilary hit Las Vegas?

Nevada will see heavy rain into Monday morning with likely flooding in Las Vegas and "significant flooding" in Death Valley National Park, the Weather Channel reported.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon due to the "imminent impact" of Tropical Storm Hilary across the state. "Significant damage to public and private property are likely, including multiple transportation routes," the declaration read.

That came days after he announced that 100 National Guard troops had been activated ahead of the tropical storm.

The storm broke rainfall records in multiple locations across Southern California. Palm Springs received nearly a year’s worth of rain – 4.3 inches – in 24 hours, one of the rainiest days in the city’s history. Nearly half a year’s worth of rain fell in just a six-hour period there.

Death Valley nearly set a new mark for wettest day on record with 1.68 inches of rain. Nearly a month’s worth of rain fell there in one hour on Sunday, with 0.63 inches reported by the Furnace Creek Observation site. The area usually receives just 0.21 inches of rain the entire month of August.

More rain is expected to cause dangerous flash, urban and arroyo flooding in some places, including landslides, mudslides and debris flows. Localized flooding is expected into Tuesday morning across northern portions of the Intermountain West.

In Palm Springs, roads already are closed, and 911 lines have been down since about 10:30 p.m. Sunday night, Mayor Grace Garner said Monday on “CNN This Morning.” Residents should text 911 in case of emergency.

“There is no way in or out of Palm Springs,” Garner said.

“We are not used to this level of precipitation, generally – certainly not in the middle of summer,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told CNN on Sunday.

“With what we’re expecting, it may overwhelm us.”

Here’s the latest:

Flood watches are in effect for more than 16 million people from Southern California to northern Idaho. Places that normally don’t see flash flooding “will flood,” the National Weather Service said. “Lives and property are in great danger through Monday.”

Strong and gusty winds are due to persist Monday across portions of the Western US, particularly in and near areas of higher terrain. Coastal tropical storm warnings have been discontinued.

More than 40,000 customers are in the dark across California, PowerOutage.us reports. About 20,000 customers in Southern California have no power, Southern California Edison President and CEO Steve Powell said Monday on “CNN This Morning,” adding crews are out “looking to bring power back on as safely as we possibly can.”

People in parts of Southern California should not travel unless they are fleeing an area under flooding or under an evacuation order, the National Weather Service has warned.

Flooding, mudslides and downed trees and wires are widely reported across Southern California. At least nine people were rescued Sunday in a San Diego riverbed, San Diego Fire-Rescue said, with water rescues also reported in Ventura County and Palm Springs.

To the west, Los Angeles and Ventura counties saw “considerable damage” Sunday night amid reports of life-threatening flash flooding, and rock and mudslides, the National Weather Service said, adding up to half an inch of rain could fall per hour.

Cars were stuck in floodwaters in the Spanish Hills area, the National Weather Service reported.

And as Hilary triggered flood warnings across Los Angeles, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake on Sunday afternoon shook the area and other parts of Southern California, the United States Geological Survey said.

Roads deluged with mud and water Once a hurricane, Hilary weakened as it made landfall Sunday in Mexico – where at least one person died – then crossed into the Golden State. The storm’s center was roughly 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles around 8 p.m. local time Sunday, moving north with weakened 45-mph winds, according to the hurricane center.

Here’s what else to know:

Three cities in California — Cathedral City, Indio and Palm Springs — said 911 lines were down. Officials in Los Angeles said there had been reports of at least 150 tree-related issues in the city, as well as downed electrical wires and 17 minor mudflows. About 40,000 customers were without electricity in California.

Just as the first bands of heavy rain fell on Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake — unrelated to the tropical storm — struck northwest of the city. There were no reports of major damage or injuries, but an estimated 12 million people live in the affected area, further fraying the region’s nerves.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency in several counties in the south, including Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego. The city of Indio, which has about 92,000 residents and is in Riverside County, also declared a state of emergency on Sunday. Across the state, officials canceled events, closed parks and beaches, and deployed more than 7,500 emergency responders.

Before Hilary reached the United States, it battered Baja California, Mexico, where one person died and another was missing, but Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, posted in Spanish that “fortunately, there was not much damage.”