Hurricane Hilary heads toward California after torrential rains hit Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, killing at least one person. At the same time, warnings are given of “catastrophic and life-threatening floods”.
By early Sunday morning, the violent storm cell had weakened, but it is still a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The storm was located about 30 miles south of Punta Eugenia, Mexico and 385 miles from San Diego, California as of around 5 a.m. Sunday morning, moving north-northwest at a speed of 21 miles per hour.
Parts of California, Nevada and Arizona that aren’t used to rain could also suddenly receive rain for a year or more.
The maximum sustained wind speed remained unchanged at 85mph as “heavy rains” spread north across the peninsula.
Meteorologists warned that while the storm has weakened, it remains treacherous and images and videos posted online are already showing its effects.
Hurricane Hilary heads toward California after torrential rains hit Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. It warned of “catastrophic and life-threatening floods” that have killed at least one person
Heavy waves hit Medano Beach in Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico on Saturday during Hurricane Hilary
Video from Santa Rosalia, one of Hilary’s hardest-hit communities to date, was engulfed by murky brown floodwaters rushing through the city at high speeds.
Meanwhile, in the same town on Saturday, one person drowned when a vehicle was swept away by an overflowing stream.
Rescue workers managed to save four more people, Edith Aguilar Villavicencio, the mayor of the municipality of Mulege, told local news outlets.
It wasn’t immediately clear if officials linked the death to the hurricane, but videos released by local officials showed streams of water flowing down the city’s streets.
While areas on the peninsula were already being spared the storm, California residents braced for inclement weather and posted eerie images of deep orange, red, and magenta sunsets sweeping across the state in what people dubbed the “calm before the storm.” .
Forecasters said the storm would continue to go down in history as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, bringing flash flooding, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and power outages.
Evacuation orders were issued to Southern California residents before the historic storm made landfall around 1 p.m.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and officials had urged people to complete their preparations before sundown on Saturday
Typical LA! Loaves of white bread line the shelves at Trader Joe’s while Angelenos sorts out the focaccia to hide for Hurricane Hilary
By early Sunday morning, the violent storm cell had weakened but remained a dangerous Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Weather Service
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and officials had urged people to complete their preparations before sundown on Saturday. An expert said it would be too late by Sunday.
Newsom tried to reassure residents that extensive preparations were underway, including the deployment of “more than 7,500 troops to the scene.”
But panic buying ensued, and essentials like water and canned foods were missing from some supermarket shelves in San Diego and Los Angeles.
Videos emerged from California of people panic buying at grocery stores, with one tweet joking about the “necessities” being bought by people in Los Angeles.
“A sign that you are in LA and not the Southeast US during hurricane/tropical storm preparation: WHITE BREAD is at Trader Joe’s!!!” Focaccia – all gone!!! But even during the preparations for the storm, Angelenos doesn’t bring home any white bread!’ The post included an image of empty shelves and about seven loaves of white bread.
The prediction prompted authorities to issue an evacuation alert for Santa Catalina Island, urging local residents and beachgoers to evacuate the tourist destination 23 miles offshore.
The tropical storm, which made landfall in California for the first time since 1939, could affect more than 42 million people.
Elizabeth Adams, meteorologist at the NWS San Diego office, said rain could reach up to 3 inches per hour from late Sunday morning into the afternoon over Southern California’s mountains and deserts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across much of Southern California to support Hurricane Hilary response and recovery efforts as the state continues to mobilize and coordinate resources in advance of the storm’s projected impact
Seal Beach residents were seen filling sandbags with sand in preparation for the approaching storm
Families were seen carrying the sad ones home in containers
Newsom tried to reassure residents that extensive preparations were underway, including deploying “more than 7,500 troops on the ground,” but said it was too late to prepare Sunday’s preparations
The heavy rains during these hours could cause widespread and life-threatening flash floods.
Meteorologists also expected the storm would stir up “life-threatening” surf and currents along Mexico’s Pacific coast, including waves up to 40 feet high.
Dozens of people took refuge in storm shelters at the Los Cabos twin resorts on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, and firefighters rescued a family in San Jose del Cabo after the resort was hit by torrential rain and winds.
In Tijuana, fire chief Rafael Carrillo expressed the fear on everyone’s mind in the border city of 1.9 million, particularly those living in houses on steep hillsides.
“If you hear noises or the ground cracks, it’s important that you check it out and get out of there as soon as possible because the ground can weaken and your house could collapse,” Carrillo said.
Tijuana on Saturday ordered all beaches closed and set up half a dozen storm shelters at sports facilities and government offices.
The Mexican Navy evacuated 850 people from islands off the Baja coast and dispatched nearly 3,000 troops for emergency response.
In La Paz, the scenic capital of Baja California Sur state on the Gulf of California, police patrolled closed beaches to keep swimmers away from the churning surf.
Some school and other non-essential activities were canceled through Monday, and authorities in Mexico’s second-largest city, Tijuana, urged people in high-risk areas to move to emergency shelters.
Beautiful pre-hurricane images show California in hues of orange, red, and pink as the sun sets before the approaching storm
Forecasters said the storm would continue to go down in history as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, bringing flash flooding, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and power outages
According to the FlightAware website, nearly 200 flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled at San Diego International Airport, with another 184 canceled on Monday.
In California, the Los Angeles-based Major League Baseball Dodgers and Angels pulled their Sunday games forward to Saturday to turn them into split doubleheaders.
The city’s soccer teams, Los Angeles FC and LA Galaxy, both postponed their Sunday games due to threats of heavy rain and flooding.
Both Disneyland Resort theme parks are also closing early due to Hurricane Hilary, which is about to make landfall.
Disneyland Resort said in a statement, “We are closely monitoring Hurricane Hilary and making adjustments based on the latest information from the NWS.”
“Disneyland Resort theme parks will close early tomorrow, Sunday, August 20, with Disney California Adventure Park closing at 9 p.m. and Disneyland Park closing at 10 p.m.” Downtown Disney District closes at 11 p.m.
“Our resort hotels remain open to serve our guests staying with us on-site.”
President Joe Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has mobilized personnel and supplies in the vulnerable areas.
Just after sunset, a surfer exited the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Beach as Hurricane Hilary approached in the calm before the storm on Saturday
Others in San Diego were seen gathering around a bonfire on Ocean Beach after sundown on Saturday
“I urge all who stand in the way of this storm to take precautions and listen to the direction of state and local officials,” he told reporters on Friday.
The hurricane is the latest major climate disaster to wreak havoc across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Hawaii’s island of Maui is still reeling from last week’s fire that killed over 100 people and devastated the historic town of Lahaina. It was the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century.
Firefighters in Canada continued to battle the blazes Saturday during the country’s worst fire season on record.