Hurricane Hilary weekend weather forecast for California, from Bay Area to desert

Gabe Hauari and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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Hurricane Hilary, considered a "large and powerful" hurricane by the National Hurricane Center, reached Category 4 status Friday with sustained gusts of 145 mph.

The storm is moving through the Pacific on a path that will likely take it toward Southern California.

The NHC said it expects Hurricane Hilary to "still be a hurricane when it approaches the west coast of the Baja California peninsula Saturday night."

The storm is forecast to weaken as it approaches Southern California, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Scott Homan.

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

Hilary is expected to reduce into Category 3 by Saturday late afternoon and eventually diminish into a tropical storm by Sunday afternoon, when it could make landfall in the U.S.

HURRICANE HILARY TRACKER: Category 4 storm forecast to bring heavy rain to Southern California

Hilary could be the first tropical storm to reach California's landfall since 1939, according to federal weather officials. Last year, Tropical Storm Kay gave Southern California heavy rain and flooding to without making landfall.

Hilary is expected to bring a risk of flash flooding and heavy rainfall in southern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona, the hurricane center said.

San Diego weather forecast

San Diego could see rainfall by Saturday evening. Homan said the area could see about 4 inches of rainfall.

The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center issued a high risk of excessive rainfall over portions of Southern California on Sunday. The rainfall looks to target the mountains and deserts Saturday through Monday.

According to the NWS, isolated areas in the mountains could see more than 10 inches of rain.

"The combination of heavy rainfall, the potential for flash flooding and strong winds could very well make this a high impact event for Southern California," Samantha Connolly, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego, wrote in a Thursday morning forecast.

Los Angeles weather forecast

Los Angeles residents could expect rainfall around Sunday afternoon, according to Homan. The area could see about 4 inches of rainfall.

The rain is expected to last through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Bay Area weather forecast

The Bay Area is not currently forecast to receive any rain over the weekend.

Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 72℉, while Sunday is also expected to be sunny with a high of 73℉.

There is a 20 percent chance of rain before 11 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Mojave Desert weather forecast

According to the Mojave National Preserve, there is a "moderate to major weather risk" for San Bernardino County and Mojave National Preserve from Saturday to Tuesday.

The risk includes the possibility of sudden flash flooding from Hurricane Hilary.

There is a flood watch in effect for Las Vegas from 11 a.m. local time Saturday until 5 p.m. local time Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Hurricane Hilary 2023 tracker

Hurricane Hilary spaghetti model

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Hilary forecast for California: From Bay Area to the desert