As tropical storm Hilary makes landfall, streets in California are deserted as residents prepare for 81 mph gusts and torrential rain that, according to FEMA, could bring horrifying floods.
Hilary, a tropical storm, makes landfall in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
With anticipated winds of 85 mph, it reached the area with sustained winds of 65 mph.
Take the storm seriously, Deanne Criswell, the head of FEMA, advised.
Although Hilary has diminished from a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, officials have urged to “take the storm seriously” since it still poses a danger to southern California.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Hilary made landfall in Mexico late Sunday morning over the northern Baja California Peninsula with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and the storm system barreling 25 mph to the north-northwest.
As of around 11 a.m. local time on Sunday, it was roughly 215 miles to the south-southeast of San Diego and was expected to hit California as the state entered its afternoon.
After severe flooding engulfed portions of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, at least one person has already perished after their car was swept away near Santa Rosala.
Californians have whipped out their cameras and recorders to capture the ominous gray sky, falling rain, and frantic stockpiling as the storm cell threatens to bring in potentially record-breaking heavy downpours.
The storm is expected to whip up severe winds of up to 81 mph that could knock out power for many and drop 3 to 6 inches of rain, or perhaps 10 inches in some places.
Residents can anticipate “significant impact,” according to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who spoke with CBS on Sunday.
People shouldn’t minimize the threat, Criswell noted, even while it doesn’t seem likely that the overall amount of rain will be higher than that from storms similar to those on the East Coast.
She emphasized on ABC that “people really need to take this storm in California seriously.”
“I think it’s interesting that the total amounts of rain aren’t like what we see in some of our Atlantic storms and Gulf storms, but it’s really going to be potentially devastating for them in these desert areas,” the speaker said.
Residents are battening down the hatches in anticipation for the hazardous weather, as evidenced by the panicked stockpiling and eerie photos of deserted streets.
In order to prepare for and respond to this historic storm, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday for a significant portion of his constituents.
Many people sought shelter from the storm, while some braved the rain to enjoy the storm’s forerunner, which had swollen to the size of the state of Arizona.
As ferocious waves pounded a pier at Imperial Beach, a few stragglers could be seen wearing rain jackets and clutching umbrellas.
Others chose to walk down the shore while they could.
Surfers enjoyed the impressive ocean walls that were being formed throughout the coastline, while thrill seekers tried to take advantage of the massive swells in Dana Point despite the fact that the area’s beaches were closed.
As grocery store shelves revealed, a populace unaccustomed to such storms felt a sense of urgency.
Only tinned fish and, occasionally, plain white bread were available at normally well-stocked supermarkets, with health-conscious Angelinos grabbing all the better wholemeal substitutes.
According to a statement from the utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is prepared with a full staff and personnel that are prepared to work on power restoration and clearing felled trees or power lines.
According to the statement, the city’s reservoirs have “sufficient capacity” to withstand any higher runoff brought on by probable flooding.
Hilary is expected to have a significant impact on a large portion of Southern California Edison’s service area, which provides electricity to more than 15 million people in the area.
The business advised homeowners to stock up on supplies like torches, external battery chargers, and ice chests even though it maintained it was ready to respond to outages.
The Death Valley and Morongo Basin are predicted to experience the most significant flooding, according to forecasters, who also cautioned that San Bernardino and Inyo counties might experience historic flood impacts.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Highway 62 and Death Valley may see some road closures.According to the report, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley are among the high-risk zones in LA County, where storms can cause mudslides, rock falls, debris flows, and landslides.
Though it hasn’t reached California yet, Hilary has already downgraded to a tropical storm with gusts of about 70 mph.
A fantastic morning for surfing, then? Take a look at how many people are swimming in the area near Long Beach! @abc7gabe explains. | @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/lOZX5FiuPY@abc7marccr Marc Cota-Robles 20 August 2023 Peak wind gusts at Wrightwood and Joshua Tree National Park have both been recorded at 67 mph.
Peak gusts in Anaheim could reach 62 mph; in Irvine, 60 mph; Palm Springs and Ontario, 58; Big Bear Lake, 52; Riverside; San Clemente; 43; San Diego; and San Bernardino, 41 mph.
Peak wind gusts in the Los Angeles County area may reach 44 mph in Santa Clarita and Lancaster, 40 mph in Northridge and Westlake Village, 35 mph in Avalon on Catalina Island, 32 mph in Pomona, 31 mph in Pasadena, 30 mph in Long Beach, 29 mph in downtown Los Angeles, and 26 mph in Redondo Beach.
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