Southern California braces for 'dangerous and significant' Hurricane Hilary as rainfall begins

Anthony Robledo and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
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Southern Californians were bracing for significant heavy rainfall and extensive flooding as a "very dangerous and significant" Hurricane Hilary rolls ashore this weekend, forecasters and officials said.

Hilary weakened to a Category 2 hurricane Saturday and will still be a hurricane when it reaches the West Coast of the Baja California peninsula Saturday night. However, it's expected to weaken into a tropical storm as it approaches Southern California Sunday afternoon.

For the first time, a tropical storm watch was placed in parts of Southern California Friday from the California-Mexico border to the Orange-Los Angeles County line, and on Catalina Island.

"We are expecting a rare and dangerous rainfall event with significant flash flooding, river flooding, mudslides and debris flows, as well as the potential for wind damage from strong, tropical storm-force winds," Courtney Carpenter with the National Weather Service said at a news conference Saturday.

Located about 640 miles south-southeast of San Diego Saturday afternoon, Hilary was considered "large and powerful" by the National Hurricane Center with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

Officials also said residents should brace for widespread power outages and a potential for isolated tornadoes.

Residents of Southern California were already beginning to feel Hilary's impacts in the form of rainfall on Saturday, according to Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

"Make no mistake. This is a very, very dangerous and significant storm," she said.

Hilary sped up and took a slight eastward shift in its track, the National Weather Service in San Diego said early Saturday, meaning its most significant impacts will be from Sunday morning through the evening.

The National Weather Service encourages residents to secure valuables around homes and avoid driving on flooded roads.

When will Hilary hit Southern California?

Despite Hilary weakening on approach, parts of Southern California were beginning to see impacts Saturday, as predicted by AccuWeather meteorologist Scott Homan.

"The impacts of the storm will be well ahead of (it) as lots of moisture gets strung northward into the storm system and then moves north into California," Homan told USA TODAY.

He said Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Barbara and San Diego could see about 4 inches of rainfall while desert areas like Palm Springs and the Sierra Nevadas face the potential of 4 to 8 inches.

This Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 satellite image shows Hurricane Hilary, moving closer to the Pacific Coast of Baja California, Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, where it is expected to produce catastrophic rainfall.
This Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 satellite image shows Hurricane Hilary, moving closer to the Pacific Coast of Baja California, Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, where it is expected to produce catastrophic rainfall.

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Zion, Joshua Tree, Death Valley national parks at risk for flooding

California national parks Joshua Tree and Death Valley as well as Zion in Utah are at risk of flooding due to the torrential rains caused by Hilary.

The National Park Service issued a flood warning for Zion, advising visitors to avoid slot canyons — long, narrow passageways with rock walls on either side. Vulnerable parts of Joshua Tree National Park's desert landscape closed Friday evening for an indefinite amount of time in preparation for Hilary, including Geology Tour Road.

Death Valley National Park's normally bone-dry landscape may turn into a massive lake, according to a report from AccuWeather. Meteorologists say that the park could face between 2 and 4 inches of rain, higher than the annual average of less than an inch.

Residents brace for Hilary with sandbags

From Seal Beach to the Coachella Valley, emergency response workers are giving out sandbags in preparation for the potential of severe flooding caused by Hilary.

Workers also re-enforced sand berm, meant to protect low-lying coastal communities like Huntington Beach from winter surf.

Carpenter said people should rush to finish their preparations for the storm on Saturday, because heavy rainfall was expected to start well in advance of the center of the storm.

The Palm Springs area could see about 5 inches of rain, more than a year's worth, according to forecasters.

Ahead of widespread rain as Hurricane Hilary comes closer to the Coachella Valley, residents fill sandbags at the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Friday, August 18, 2023.
Ahead of widespread rain as Hurricane Hilary comes closer to the Coachella Valley, residents fill sandbags at the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Friday, August 18, 2023.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Hilary nears Southern California with risk of mass flooding