Phoenix leaders prepared for a severe Hurricane Hilary that didn't culminate
Hurricane Hilary underwhelmed the Valley this weekend, leaving little more than strong wind and trickles of rain for minutes at a time despite weather officials bracing for much more.
The National Hurricane Center expected Hilary’s impact would produce “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding likely over Baja California and the southwestern U.S. through Monday.” Phoenix's emergency management office shifted into high gear.
The office "painted a picture for all city sections to prepare for the potential of widespread flooding and how that would affect our infrastructure," said emergency office spokesman Rob McDade. "It’s highly unusual for the Phoenix metro area to prepare for possible impact of a hurricane path that would border our state."
The office prepared the city's "Sand Plan" in case of extreme flooding — making sand available at public parks for residents to come shovel into bags. City employees checked to ensure technology was working at the Emergency Operations Center. The emergency office coordinated with the Maricopa County Office of Flood Management to monitor the county's 260 dams in case of changes "critical to Phoenix's operations."
City leaders prepared virtual meeting links in case emergency meetings needed to be called. Red Cross contacts were established in case shelter or evacuation efforts needed to be activated. Utility companies were contacted to keep a line of communication.
But on Saturday, the storm weakened from a Category 4 hurricane to, eventually, a Category 1 as it shifted north from south of the Baja California peninsula to the United States West Coast.
Phoenix saw some cool breezes Sunday but warmed to a high temperature of 102 by the afternoon, as Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm.
The Phoenix Fire Department sent 16 water rescue specialists to Yuma on Sunday — highly trained professionals who respond with boats and water safety gear, according to McDade. But the specialists weren't needed and returned home Monday.
Yuma residents didn't escape entirely unscathed, though — Arizona Public Service Company reported 7,700 residents were left without power there. The circumstances improved significantly by 8 p.m. Sunday, APS said.
Southern California residents were less fortunate. As of 3:50 a.m. Pacific, there were over 57,000 reported outages in California, according to Poweroutage.us.
In the small northern Arizona city of Page, the police department was begging residents not to travel to either California or Nevada between Sunday and Tuesday. Weather conditions would make the highway dangerous, they warned.
"We beg you to adjust your travel plans," police said. "If you do decide to travel in those areas, you're potentially risking your life, the lives of others, and the lives of first responders. Please, stay put, stay safe and don't become part of the problem."
By Monday morning, Interstate 10 in Palm Springs and multiple streets near Coachella Valley were shut down from flooding and storm damage.
Meteorologist Matt Salerno with National Weather Service Phoenix said there is going to be some moisture left over from Hilary that will stick around for the first half of the week, bringing more low temperatures and more typical monsoon shower and thunderstorm chances, mainly across southern and central Arizona.
Northern Arizona has higher thunderstorm and flash flooding chances, mainly from Page to Flagstaff to Payson westward.
Morning temperatures are expected to stay in the lower 80s, but Valley temperatures are projected to warm to 110-degree temperatures potentially by Saturday.
Reporter Taylor Seely covers Phoenix City Hall for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.
Reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda covers breaking news for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at laura.sepulveda@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix leaders prepared for Hurricane Hilary, but it was underwhelming
