Tropical Storm Franklin makes landfall with major flood threats to Dominican Republic and Haiti

Tropical Storm Franklin was moving inland from the southern coast of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, bringing torrential rains to the country and neighboring Haiti.

Tropical Storm Harold, which had formed only hours before Franklin, was downgraded to a depression after making landfall in south Texas on Tuesday. The system has since crossed into northern Mexico where it was threatening the region with heavy rains.

The cyclones, which scientists say are being supercharged by the impacts of the climate crisis, are part of a record-breaking pattern unfolding in the Atlantic.

Aside from Harold and Franklin, two other systems formed in the Atlantic - Emily and Gert - in 39 hours, making it the fastest time on record for four named Atlantic storm formations, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University Meteorologist.

This weekend, Tropical Storm Hilary wreaked havoc across Mexico, California and Nevada. Hilary, which caused one death in Mexico, was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego, leading to widespread flooding and mudslides.

Key points

• Storm Hilary brings a year’s worth of rain to Death Valley

• Storm Hilary to batter Oregon and Idaho after flooding California

• Texas braces for flooding as Tropical Storm Harold barrels towards state

• Rescuers drive bulldozer through mud to reach senior citizens stuck in California care home

Watch: What has happened to desert cities after Tropical Storm Hilary hits the west coast?

16:40 , Louise Boyle

Tropical depression Harold weakens

16:18 , Louise Boyle

The National Hurricane Center reported on Wednesday morning that Tropical despression Harold had weakened as it moved from Texas into Northern Mexico but warned that residents should be on the alert for flood conditions.

A flood watch is in effect across portions of the Trans-Pecos and Big Bend regions of Texas, the NHC noted.

Pictured: National Hurricane Center plots record storm systems in Atlantic Ocean

16:04 , Louise Boyle

Franklin shuts schools and government offices

15:40 , Louise Boyle

Authorities in the Dominican Republic shut schools and government offices Tuesday as Tropical Storm Franklin took aim at the island of Hispaniola that it shares with Haiti and threatened to unleash landslides and heavy floods.

Tropical Storm Franklin was making landfall along the southern coast of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday morning, bringing torrential rains to the island.

Franklin was expected to drop up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in both countries, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas. Heavy rainfall is of great concern to Haiti, where severe erosion in many places can lead to catastrophic flooding.

The Associated Press

Watch: Tropical Storm Franklin bearing down on the Dominican Republic

15:19 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm update on Wednesday morning

15:01 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm Franklin was making landfall along the southern coast of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday morning, bringing torrential rains to the country and neighboring Haiti.

Tropical Storm Harold, which had formed only hours before Franklin, was downgraded to a depression after making landfall in south Texas on Tuesday. The system has since crossed into northern Mexico where it was threatening the region with heavy rains.

The cyclones, which scientists say are being supercharged by the impacts of the climate crisis, are part of a record-breaking pattern unfolding in the Atlantic.

Aside from Harold and Franklin, two other systems formed in the Atlantic - Emily and Gert - in 39 hours, making it the fastest time on record for four named Atlantic storm formations, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University Meteorologist.

This weekend, Tropical Storm Hilary wreaked havoc across Mexico, California and Nevada. Hilary, which caused one death in Mexico, was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego, leading to widespread flooding and mudslides.

WATCH: Moment Hilary causes flash flooding and erosion to roads in Southern Nevada

14:40 , Rachel Sharp

Greg Abbott branded ‘evil’ for sending migrant bus to LA in middle of tropical storm Hilary

14:20 , Rachel Sharp

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been branded as “evil” for sending a bus of migrants to Los Angeles while the city was bracing for the dangerous impact of Tropical Storm Hilary.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass slammed the Republican governor for “endanger[ing] the lives” of vulnerable families and toddlers by sending them into the heart of the storm at a time when local residents were warned to seek shelter away from the extreme weather.

“It is evil to endanger the lives of vulnerable migrants by sending a bus with families and toddlers on board to a city that at the time was under an unprecedented tropical storm warning,” the mayor said in a statement on Monday.

Read more...

Greg Abbott branded ‘evil’ for sending migrant bus to LA during storm Hilary

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following Tropical Storm Hilary

14:03 , Louise Boyle

Torrential mudflows caused by Tropical Storm Hilary have wreaked havoc across southern California, including in the resort town of Cathedral City where the scale of devastation was captured by aerial footage.

Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego before moving north into Nevada.

Officials in Palm Springs, California, announced that the city had been completely cut off by flooding on Monday. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, power outages led to a major hospital being evacuated in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood.

The clean-up was beginning on Tuesday after rivers of mud and torrential downpours swamped communities including a number of resort towns in the Coachella Valley.

Hilary first slammed into Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula as a hurricane, causing one death and widespread flooding before becoming a tropical storm as it moved into California.

Read more

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following storm Hilary

Pictured: Elderly residents rescued in scoop of bulldozer in Cathedral City, California

13:08 , Louise Boyle

Watch: Tropical Storm Franklin to drench Hispaniola

12:01 , Louise Boyle

Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking news stories about wildfires

11:02 , Louise Boyle

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit out at Facebook as detrimental to democracy after the social media site blocked access to news stories on its platforms in Canada in the midst of a wildfire crisis.

“It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring that local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians and reach them,” Mr Trudeau said prior to a cabinet meeting on Prince Edward Island on Monday.

Mr Trudeau’s anger at Facebook comes as the company has started enforcing a new policy blocking Canada-based users from accessing news stories in response to a recent Canadian law that requires the company to pay publishers for content shared on the platform.

Facebook, in response, has sharply reduced its role as a news service in the country — an issue in an emergency like the one Canada is facing now as its summer wildfires have forced the evacuation of some 35,000 families in the western province of British Columbia.

Read more

Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking news stories about wildfires

Rescuers drive bulldozer through mud to reach senior citizens stuck in care home

10:06 , Louise Boyle

In a dramatic scene, rescue officials in the desert community of Cathedral City, near Palm Springs, drove a bulldozer through mud to a swamped care home and rescued 14 residents by scooping them up and carrying them to safety, fire chief Michael Contreras said.

They were among 46 rescues the city performed between late on Sunday night and the next afternoon from mud and water standing up to 5 feet (1.5 metres.)

“We were able to put the patients into the scoop. It’s not something that I’ve ever done in my 34 years as a firefighter, but disasters like this really cause us to have to look at those means of rescue that aren’t in the book and that we don’t do everyday,” he said at a news conference.

Associated Press

National Weather Service office in Houston celebrates rainfall

09:07 , Louise Boyle

The National Weather Service in Houston shared its relief that rain was falling in Texas’ largest city after going 25 days without measurable rainfall.

The US South has seen record-breaking levels of heat this summer with Texas experiencing weeks of triple-digit temperatures, and drought conditions.

Tracking Tropical Storm Harold

07:07 , Louise Boyle

The National Weather Service has shared a tracker map for Tropical Storm Harold. The storm made landfall shortly after 10am at South Padre Island in the state.

Harold continues to move inland over south Texas, the NWS said, with increasing coverage of showers and thunderstorms along and south of the I-10 corridor.

Video in Oak Glen, California captured surging fountain of mud

06:03 , Louise Boyle

Video revealed a surging fountain of mud in Oak Glen, California during Tropical Storm Hilary.

The footage, shared by Reuters, showed the impacts of the historic deluge in the small San Bernardino Mountain town as mud and debris burst from beneath the surface.

Alarm sounded for Caribbean over Tropical Storm Franklin

05:09 , Louise Boyle

Within hours of Tropical Storm Harold making landfall in Texas, the National Weather Service warned of another cyclone gathering steam right behind it.

Tropical Storm Franklin poses a threat to parts of the Caribbean in the coming 36-48 hours.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Dominican Republic upgraded the Tropical Storm Watch to a Tropical Storm Warning for the entire northern and eastern coast from the Haiti border eastward and southward to Isla Saona.

A parade of tropical storms, with conditions amplified by the climate crisis, has impacted both Atlantic and Pacific regions of the US in a matter of days.

Less than 24 hours after Tropical Storm Hilary wreaked havoc across California and Nevada, another cyclone - Harold - made landfall in southern Texas. The cyclone came ashore on Padre Island at 10am local time on Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 50mph, according to the National Weather Service. Texas is now facing flash flooding, strong winds and possible tornadoes and multiple watches and alerts have been issued.

Hilary, which caused one death in Mexico, was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego before moving north into Nevada.

Watch: Storm chasing Hilary

04:08 , Louise Boyle

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following Tropical Storm Hilary

03:00 , Louise Boyle

Torrential mudflows caused by Tropical Storm Hilary have wreaked havoc across southern California, including in the resort town of Cathedral City where the scale of devastation was captured by aerial footage.

Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego before moving north into Nevada.

Officials in Palm Springs, California, announced that the city had been completely cut off by flooding on Monday. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, power outages led to a major hospital being evacuated in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood.

The clean-up was beginning on Tuesday after rivers of mud and torrential downpours swamped communities including a number of resort towns in the Coachella Valley.

Read more

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following storm Hilary

Maui’s wildfire victims in full: First IDs released after Hawaii disaster

02:02 , Louise Boyle

Raging wildfires in Maui have left at least 106 people dead and hundreds of others missing after they were forced to flee their homes.

“We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Governor Green said he expects the death toll to rise every day as recovery teams and cadaver dogs search the burned area in Lahaina on Maui. Despite the number of deaths increasing, only a few of the 111 have been identified.

Part of this reason is due to the state that many bodies were found in after the blazing wildfires moved quickly through Lahania.

A mobile morgue unit arrived to help Hawaii officials identify the remains as teams continued to search for more in neighbourhoods that were reduced to ash.

Mr Green asked people who are missing loved ones to submit their DNA to help them identify the victims.

Read more

Who are the Maui wildfire victims?

Watch: Mudflow rushes down hillside as Tropical Storm Hilary makes landfall in California

01:05 , Louise Boyle

What created the historic Tropical Storm Hilary?

Wednesday 23 August 2023 00:06 , Louise Boyle

A natural El Nino, human-caused climate change, a stubborn heat dome over the nation’s midsection and other factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary’s record-breaking slosh into California and Nevada, scientists figure.

Cooked up is the key phrase, since hot water and hot air were crucial in rapidly growing Hilary and then steering the storm on an unusual path that dumped 10 months of rain in a single weekend in normally bone-dry places. Nearly a foot of rain fell in parts of Southern California’s mountains, while cities smashed summertime records.

“It was a combination of sort of a perfect situation of everything coming together in a way that made the storm possible,” said University of Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero, an expert on Pacific hurricanes.

The Associated Press

Record set in Death Valley

Tuesday 22 August 2023 23:01 , Louise Boyle

Before and after: Satellite images reveal the damage to Cathedral City, California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 22:35 , Louise Boyle

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following Tropical Storm Hilary

Tuesday 22 August 2023 22:04 , Louise Boyle

Torrential mudflows caused by Tropical Storm Hilary have wreaked havoc across southern California, including in the resort town of Cathedral City where the scale of devastation was captured by aerial footage.

Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit California in almost a century and deluged cities including Los Angeles and San Diego before moving north into Nevada.

Officials in Palm Springs, California, announced that the city had been completely cut off by flooding on Monday. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, power outages led to a major hospital being evacuated in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood.

The clean-up was beginning on Tuesday after rivers of mud and torrential downpours swamped communities including a number of resort towns in the Coachella Valley.

Read more

Aerial images show rivers of mud in Palm Springs resort town following storm Hilary

Watch: Storm Hilary causes flash flooding and erosion to roads in Southern Nevada

Tuesday 22 August 2023 21:30 , Louise Boyle

Tracking Harold

Tuesday 22 August 2023 21:02 , Louise Boyle

The National Weather Service shared its 1pm storm tracker for Harold on Tuesday.

The storm made landfall shortly after 10am at South Padre Island in the state.

Harold continues to move inland over south Texas, the NWS said, with increasing coverage of showers and thunderstorms along and south of the I-10 corridor.

Alerts issued over Tropical Storm Franklin

Tuesday 22 August 2023 20:27 , Louise Boyle

Within hours of Tropical Storm Harold making landfall in Texas, the National Weather Service warned of another cyclone hot on its heels.

Tropical Storm Franklin poses a threat to parts of the Caribbean in the coming 36-48 hours.

The government of the Dominican Republic has upgraded the Tropical Storm Watch to a Tropical Storm Warning for the entire northern and eastern coast from the Haiti border eastward and southward to Isla Saona.

Watch: Satellite captures Tropical Storm Harold making landfall

Tuesday 22 August 2023 20:02 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm Harold has been captured by satellite making landfall in Padre Island, Texas on Tuesday morning.

The vast system was seen moving ashore in southern Texas in satellite imagery shared by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University.

Watch: Preparing for Tropical Storm Harold in Texas

Tuesday 22 August 2023 19:43 , Louise Boyle

National Weather Service office in Houston celebrates rainfall

Tuesday 22 August 2023 19:21 , Louise Boyle

The National Weather Service in Houston shared its relief that rain was falling in Texas’ largest city after going 25 days without measurable rainfall.

The US South has seen record-breaking levels of heat this summer with Texas experiencing weeks of triple-digit temperatures, and drought conditions.

Less than a day apart, a second tropical storm makes landfall

Tuesday 22 August 2023 19:02 , Louise Boyle

Less than 24 hours after Tropical Storm Hilary wreaked havoc across parts of California and Nevada, another cyclone - Tropical Storm Harold - has made landfall in southern Texas.

The cyclone came ashore in Padre Island at 10am local time on Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 50mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Texas is now facing flash flooding, strong winds and possible tornadoes and multiple watches and alerts have been issued.

Pictured: The clean-up in Coachella Valley

Tuesday 22 August 2023 18:40 , Louise Boyle

One death reported in wake of Hilary

Tuesday 22 August 2023 18:20 , Louise Boyle

Hilary first slammed into Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula as a hurricane this weekend, causing one death and widespread flooding before becoming a tropical storm as it moved towards California.

So far, no deaths, serious injuries or extreme damages have been reported in California, though officials warned that risks remain, especially in the mountainous regions where the wet hillsides could unleash mudslides.

Watch: Tropical Storm Harold expected to come ashore on Tuesday

Tuesday 22 August 2023 18:02 , Louise Boyle

All the wildfires in Europe mapped as 20 killed in Greece and hospital evacuated

Tuesday 22 August 2023 17:40 , Louise Boyle

Wildfires continue to cause chaos in Europe as firefighters in Greece and Tenerife tackle blazes in soaring heat.

Devastating blazes in central Greece left two dead and two firefighters injured on Monday, while fires consumed the city of Alexandroupolis, damaging a school, a cemetery and several homes. And on Tuesday, the bodies of 18 people were found in a forest after a fire struck an area in the north east of the country.

In a separate incident, around 65 of the more than 100 patients in the Alexandroupolis hospital in north-eastern Greece were transported to a ferry docked in the city’s port, as hot, dry and windy conditions have kept fires stoked for four days.

Read more at the link below

All the wildfires in Europe mapped as 20 killed in Greece and hospital evacuated

Watch: California military base damaged by Tropical Storm Hilary

Tuesday 22 August 2023 17:20 , Louise Boyle

California cleans up

Tuesday 22 August 2023 17:03 , Louise Boyle

Crews worked to dig roads, buildings and care home residents out of the mud across a wide swath of Southwestern U.S. desert Monday, as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years headed north, prompting flood watches and warnings in half a dozen states.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tropical Storm Hilary had lost much of its force as it headed to the Rocky Mountains, but warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected in parts of the region.

Forecasters said the threat for flooding in states farther north on Monday was highest across much of southeastern Oregon into the west-central mountains of Idaho, with potential thunderstorms and localized torrential rains on Tuesday.

The Associated Press

Pictured: Tropical Storm Harold to make landfall in southern Texas at noon

Tuesday 22 August 2023 16:41 , Louise Boyle

Hilary’s rains help wildfire-fighting efforts in Washington state

Tuesday 22 August 2023 16:20 , Louise Boyle

From the collision of deadly, climate-driven disasters in the United States emerged a small sliver of good fortune on Monday.

After deluging Mexico, California and Nevada, Tropical Storm Hilary moved north and brought some much-needed rain over the wildfires raging in Washington state.

The overlap of the events was seen in satellite imagery shared by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University on Monday. Researchers noted that heavy smoke from fires in the Northwest, and also in British Columbia, Canada, was visible outside of the storm’s cloud cover.

Two people were killed by the Washington wildfires this weekend amid a state of emergency. Two large fires broke out in the US Northwest region, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported on Monday, close to the city of Spokane.

Read more below

Watch: Storm Hilary causes flash flooding and erosion to roads in Southern Nevada

Tuesday 22 August 2023 16:00 , Louise Boyle

Power goes down at major Los Angeles hospital

Tuesday 22 August 2023 15:42 , Louise Boyle

A major hospital in Los Angeles was evacuated overnight on Tuesday after a power outage in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary.

White Memorial Hospital in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of the city went dark just before midnight on Monday and immediately began evacuating critical and non-critical patients.

LA Fire Department helped medical staff get patients down the stairs as the elevators were also out of service.

Fire officials told FOX11 a baby was delivered by flashlight during the evacuation and that both the newborn and mother were in good condition.

Southern Texas and northern Mexico flood warnings

Tuesday 22 August 2023 15:20 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm Harold is set to bring flash flooding across South Texas through early Wednesday, and may produce areas of flash flooding, the National Weather Service reported.

Across portions of northern Coahuila and northern Nuevo Leon in Mexico, flash flooding with possible landslides in mountainous terrain is expected Tuesday through Wednesday.

Hilary downgraded... but risks remain

Tuesday 22 August 2023 15:03 , Louise Boyle

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tropical Storm Hilary had lost much of its force as it headed to the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday but warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected in parts of the region.

Associated Press

Tropical Storm Harold heads for Texas

Tuesday 22 August 2023 14:41 , Louise Boyle

Satellites have captured Tropical Storm Harold as it moves towards southern Texas on Tuesday morning.

Forecasters have issued tropical storm warnings due to heavy rains and strong winds.

Burning Man tells festival-goers to delay arrival due to Storm Hilary

Tuesday 22 August 2023 14:20 , Rachel Sharp

Burning Man has told festival-goers to delay their arrival due to Storm Hilary.

The festival takes place in the Nevada desert with the site being flooded by the extreme weather this week.

In the latest update posted on social media, the festival said: “The gate will remain closed until at least noon PT on Tuesday 8/22.

“If you were planning to travel to BRC with a Work Access Pass, delay your plans. DO NOT drive to Gerlach. We will post another update by 10am PT Tuesday 8/22. Stay safe!”

‘Continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding’ expected

Tuesday 22 August 2023 14:00 , Ap

The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm in its early Monday advisory, but warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected over portions of the southwestern U.S. on Monday. All coastal warnings were discontinued.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and fire officials rescued 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water. Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Texas braces for flooding as Tropical Storm Harold barrels towards state

Tuesday 22 August 2023 13:44 , Rachel Sharp

Texas is preparing for flash flooding, strong winds and dangerous weather conditions including possible tornadoes, as Tropical Storm Harold barrels towards the south central state.

The low pressure system known as Tropical Depression Nine – which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday afternoon – has now strengthened and developed into Tropical Storm Harold, an extreme weather event expected to cause heavy rain and high-force winds on Tuesday.

As recorded by the National Hurricane Center, Harold had already whipped up 45mph winds by 1am CDT, with 39mph winds being classifed as a tropical storm.

Read the full story:

Texas braces for flooding as Tropical Storm Harold barrels towards state

VIDEO: Tropical Storm Hilary forces school closures

Tuesday 22 August 2023 13:30 , Gustaf Kilander

First tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years

Tuesday 22 August 2023 13:00 , AP

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including Palm Springs, which saw more than 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain by Sunday evening.

In September 1939, a tropical storm that roared into California ripped apart train tracks, tore houses from their foundations and capsized many boats, killing nearly 100 people on land and at sea.

Ted Cruz falls for Storm Hilary flooded shark hoax

Tuesday 22 August 2023 12:30 , Stuti Mishra

Senator Ted Cruz appears to have been tricked into believing that a fake image of a shark swimming through floodwaters on a Los Angeles freeway was real.

The city of LA and wider parts of Southern California have been pounded by heavy rain and flash flooding brought by Storm Hilary – the region’s first tropical storm since 1939.

Amid the chaos, the shark hoax – which is a longtime fake meme used during almost every natural disaster – was shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, by user Big Cat of Barstool.

Read more:

Ted Cruz falls for Storm Hilary flooded shark hoax

‘Thank God my family is OK'

Tuesday 22 August 2023 12:00 , AP

Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California from the coast to the desert resort city of Palm Springs and inland mountains, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers.

By early Monday, remnants of the storm that first brought soaking rains to Mexico’s arid Baja California peninsula and the border city of Tijuana, threatened Nevada and as far north as Oregon and Idaho with flooding.

Southern Californians were battling flooded roads, mudslides and downed trees.

“Thank God my family is OK,” Maura Taura said after a three-story-tall tree crashed down on her daughter’s two cars but missed the family’s house in the Sun Valley area of Los Angeles.

More than dozen people rescued from San Diego riverbed as Hilary brings flooding to California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 11:30 , Stuti Mishra

As many as 14 people have been rescued from a riverbed in San Diego in southern California as storm Hilary brought massive flooding to the area.

The rescue took place on Sunday night in the area near the Morena Boulevard Bridge in Mission Valley, according to NBC 7.

Firefighters and lifeguards responded to a call reporting that about 20 people were stuck in the river, San Diego Fire-Rescue said.

Read more:

More than dozen people rescued from San Diego riverbed as Hilary brings flooding

Hilary has already dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain

Tuesday 22 August 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years, Hilary has already dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including the desert resort of Palm Springs, which had seen nearly 7.6 centimetres of rain by Sunday evening.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and fire officials rescued 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water.

Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, said all campuses would be closed on Monday, as did districts across the region, while the Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement on Sunday that 911 lines were down and that in the event of an emergency to text 911 or reach out to the nearest police or fire station.

Tropical Storm Hilary is projected to weaken as it continues moving northward over California and into Nevada, but Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, said “very heavy” rain and strong winds are still likely.

Dramatic video shows storm Hilary flooding Los Angeles Dodgers baseball stadium

Tuesday 22 August 2023 10:30 , Stuti Mishra

Aerial footage over Los Angeles has revealed the devastation wrought by Hurricane Hilary – the first tropical storm to strike Los Angeles since 1939.

Footage taken from a helicopter flying over the city shows the stadium for the LA Dodgers baseball team surrounded by water while the field inside is seemingly still spared from the floodwaters.

The footage was posted by the account dodgeraerial on Instagram and subsequently shared on other platforms.

Read more:

Dramatic video shows storm Hilary flooding Los Angeles Dodgers baseball stadium

Tropical Storm Hilary moves into Southern California on satellite footage

Tuesday 22 August 2023 10:00 , Holly Patrick

Satellite footage shows the moment Tropical Storm Hilary moved into the southwest of the United States on Sunday, 20 August.

The storm was previously classed as a Category 4 hurricane but weakened as it hit Mexico.

“Life-threatening” floods have hammered California after Hilary - the first tropical storm to hit the state since 1997 - made its way up the West Coast.

Officials have warned Los Angeles and San Diego to shelter away from the flooding in a tropical storm warning.

Lightning dances across San Diego sky as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches

Tuesday 22 August 2023 09:30 , Stuti Mishra

Footage posted to social media shows rapid lightning strikes hitting as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches California.

The clip posted to Twitter/X shows the sky lighting up in the early hours of 19 August as a thunderstorm hit San Diego.

Southern California faced its its first tropical storm in 84 years, with the threat of flooding, blackouts, high winds and tornadoes.

Millions of Americans were under flood and high-wind warnings as the storm moved north, unleashing heavy rains from the California-Mexico border to Las Vegas and beyond.

Tropical Storm Hilary crumbles road in California as heavy rain hits state

Tuesday 22 August 2023 09:00 , Holly Patrick

Part of a road in Santa Clarita, California, collapsed into storm water after Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in the state on Sunday, 20 August.

Santa Clarita City officials posted footage on Twitter/X showing part of the concrete crumbling as water gushes.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, and Glendale until at least 3am on Monday.

Residents were urged to move to higher ground immediately and to avoid walking or driving through floodwaters.

How a mix of natural and human-caused caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy mess

Tuesday 22 August 2023 08:30 , Stuti Mishra

A natural El Nino, human-caused climate crisis, a stubborn heat dome over the nation’s midsection and other factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary’s record-breaking slosh into California and Nevada, scientists figure.

Read more:

How a mix of natural and human-caused caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy mess

Watch: Mudflow rushes down hillside as Tropical Storm Hilary makes landfall in California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 21:17 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm Hilary’s path brings much-needed rain over deadly Washington wildfires

Tuesday 22 August 2023 07:34 , Stuti Mishra

From the collision of deadly, climate-driven disasters in the United States emerged a small sliver of good fortune on Monday, writes Louise Boyle.

Tropical Story Hillary, which has deluged Mexico, California and Nevada, is now bringing much-needed rain over the wildfires raging in Washington state as the system moves north.

Read more:

Tropical Storm Hilary’s path brings much-needed rain over deadly Washington wildfires

Mapped: The path of Tropical Storm Hilary bringing heavy rain and floods to California, Nevada and Mexico

Tuesday 22 August 2023 07:00 , Stuti Mishra

Tropical Storm Hilary is expected to drive north through southern California into Nevada over the course of Monday having already brought heavy rain and flooding to the desert region, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers.

Although Hilary has weakened from hurricane status, millions expect more flooding and mudslides to come.

The Pacific front had drifted north along the coast of Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula before it made landfall on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles south of Ensenada.

Read more:

Mapped: The path of Tropical Storm Hilary

Storm Hilary brings a year's worth of rain for Death Valley

Tuesday 22 August 2023 06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Death Valley in California, known for its extremely hot temperatures, saw its "wettest day on record in 112 years" on Sunday, according to data shared by Weather Channel senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman on Twitter.

Tropical storm Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain over Death Valley on Sunday, which also happens to be the average yearly precipitation for the region.

Like the rest of California, Death Valley was also under threat of flooding with the national park remaining close as mud and debris cut off roads.

Video: Crews work to clear mud and debris from California roads after Storm Hilary

Tuesday 22 August 2023 06:00 , Stuti Mishra

Rescuers drive bulldozer through mud to reach senior citizens stuck in care home

Tuesday 22 August 2023 05:30 , Stuti Mishra

In a dramatic scene, rescue officials in the desert community of Cathedral City, near Palm Springs, drove a bulldozer through mud to a swamped care home and rescued 14 residents by scooping them up and carrying them to safety, fire chief Michael Contreras said.

They were among 46 rescues the city performed between late on Sunday night and the next afternoon from mud and water standing up to 5 feet (1.5 metres.)

“We were able to put the patients into the scoop. It’s not something that I’ve ever done in my 34 years as a firefighter, but disasters like this really cause us to have to look at those means of rescue that aren’t in the book and that we don’t do everyday,” he said at a news conference.

Palm Springs left completely cut off from rest of state by Tropical Storm Hilary flooding: ‘We’re stuck’

Tuesday 22 August 2023 05:15 , Kelly Rissman

Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Palm Springs with over half of a year’s worth of rain in mere hours – and cut off the city’s emergency services.

California officials declared a local state of emergency due to “unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways and at least one swift water rescue.” City officials also urged residents to stay home and to “avoid driving during these dangerous conditions.”

Dozens of cars are trapped in floodwaters across the city as well as in surrounding communities, according to ABC7.

“There’s no way in or out of Palm Springs and that’s the case for the majority of the Coachella Valley. We’re all stuck. Our major freeway, I-10, is also closed in both directions. This is a very extreme situation at the moment,” said Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner on Monday.

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Palm Springs left completely cut off by Tropical Storm Hilary flooding: ‘We’re stuck’

Storm Hilary to batter Oregon and Idaho after flooding California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 04:33 , Stuti Mishra

Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, flooded roads, toppled trees and forced a rescue by bulldozer of more than a dozen older residents trapped by mud in a care home on Monday as it now marches northward, prompting flood watches and warnings in half a dozen states.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hilary had lost much of its steam and only vestiges of the storm were heading over the Rocky Mountains, but it warned that "continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding" was expected over portions of the southwestern US, following record-breaking rainfall.

Forecasters said the threat for flooding in states farther north was highest across much of southeastern Oregon into the west-central mountains of Idaho, with potential thunderstorms and localised torrential rains on Tuesday.

VIDEO: Mudflows gush down a hillside as Tropical Storm Hilary makes landfall in Southern California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 03:45 , Hayden Vernon

Mudflows rushed down a hillside as Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in Southern California.

Footage shows the muddy torrents sweeping away rocks between State Route 2 and Sheep Creek on 20 August.

Drivers were advised to stay off SR-2 also known as the Angeles Crest Highway, in the Angeles National Forest as any trace of the road was no longer visible.

Millions of Americans were under flood and high-wind warnings as the storm moved north, unleashing heavy rains from the California-Mexico border to Las Vegas and beyond.

British expat in LA describes ‘biblical’ scenes amid Storm Hilary and earthquake

Tuesday 22 August 2023 03:00 , Tom Campbell

A British expat living in Los Angeles has said Storm Hilary turned the street outside his house into a “river” which you could have “canoed down”, describing the tempest and concurrent earthquake as “biblical”.

Tim Amoui, originally from Haslemere in Surrey, and his American partner Shayda Frost, 37, “battened down the hatches” after receiving Government emergency alerts to his phone advising “flood warning, danger to life” on Sunday.

The 34-year-old businessman said the situation deteriorated rapidly and became “more apocalyptic” overnight on Sunday when the Californian city was struck by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

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British expat in LA describes ‘biblical’ scenes amid Storm Hilary and earthquake

VIDEO: Cars drive through floodwater after Tropical Storm Hilary makes landfall in California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 02:15 , Hayden Vernon

Footage shows cars driving through floods after Tropical Storm Hilary hit California.

The video, posted to Snapchat, shows cars navigating floodwater after torrential rains in the city of Coachella.

Southern California faced its its first tropical storm in 84 years, with the threat of flooding, blackouts, high winds and tornadoes.

Millions of Americans were under flood and high-wind warnings as the storm moved north, unleashing heavy rains from the California-Mexico border to Las Vegas and beyond.

Bill Nye: ‘If you like to worry about things, this is a great time'

Tuesday 22 August 2023 01:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Fox News attempts to pin Hilary on Biden

Tuesday 22 August 2023 00:45 , Gustaf Kilander

VIDEO: Tropical storm Hilary batters Mexico, California

Tuesday 22 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Disturbance in Mexican Gulf has 80% chance of developing into tropical disturbance

Monday 21 August 2023 23:30 , AP

The Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement Sunday that 911 lines were down and that in the event of an emergency, residents should text 911 or reach out to the nearest police or fire station.

As skies were clearing Monday in California, the National Weather Service warned of flooding underway in the Mount Charleston area west of Las Vegas. Forecasters said the threat for flooding in states farther north on Monday was highest across much of southeastern Oregon into the west-central mountains of Idaho “with record breaking precipitation” forecast for Monday morning.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center, meanwhile, were watching a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that now has an 80% chance of developing into a tropical disturbance or tropical storm before reaching the western Gulf coastline on Tuesday. Forecasters urged people along the coast in northern Mexico and Texas to monitor the system, adding that tropical storm watches or warnings may be issued later Monday.

Wettest day on record in San Diego

Monday 21 August 2023 23:00 , AP

Sunday was the wettest day on record in San Diego, with 1.82 inches (4.6 centimeters), the NWS said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The previous record was on Aug. 17, 1977, when 1.8 inches (4.5 centimeters) of rain fell in the area post-Hurricane Doreen.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest school system, said all campuses would be closed on Monday, along with other districts across the region. San Diego schools postponed the first day of classes from Monday to Tuesday.

VIDEO: Tropical Storm Hilary forces school closures

Monday 21 August 2023 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding’ expected

Monday 21 August 2023 22:00 , AP

The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm in its early Monday advisory, but warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected over portions of the southwestern U.S. on Monday. All coastal warnings were discontinued.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and fire officials rescued 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water. Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

First tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years

Monday 21 August 2023 21:30 , AP

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including Palm Springs, which saw more than 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain by Sunday evening.

In September 1939, a tropical storm that roared into California ripped apart train tracks, tore houses from their foundations and capsized many boats, killing nearly 100 people on land and at sea.

Hilary bringing rain to Northwest and British Columbia wildfires

Monday 21 August 2023 21:15 , Gustaf Kilander

VIDEO: Southern California deserts slammed by Hilary

Monday 21 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Climate crisis 'supercharging' tropical storms

Monday 21 August 2023 20:45 , Louise Boyle

Tropical Storm Hilary is hammering swathes of California with “life-threatening” floods after making landfall in Mexico on Sunday.

Forecasters warned that a year’s worth of rainfall could swamp the region in a matter of days during the first tropical storm system to hit California in almost a century.

The impacts of the downpours were becoming apparent on Monday: officials in Palm Springs announced that the city had been completely cut off by flooding.

In Los Angeles, The Dodgers baseball stadium was marooned by water as the city’s mayor warned that it could still “get much worse”.

Tropical storms and hurricanes are being “supercharged” by the human-caused climate crisis, according to non-profit Climate Signals, and this year are receiving an extra boost of heat from El Nino, a recurring weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean.

Climate scientists have discovered that not only is the global heating from fossil-fuel burning causing cyclones to pop up in unexpected locations but they are also more rapidly intensifying and producing more rain - leading to a greater toll on people, property and infrastructure.

Southern California hit by earthquake

Monday 21 August 2023 20:30 , AP

Hilary is just the latest major weather or climate disaster to wreak havoc across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Hawaii’s island of Maui is still reeling from a blaze that killed more than 100 people and ravaged the historic town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Firefighters in Canada are battling that nation’s worst fire season on record.

Southern California got another surprise Sunday afternoon as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 hit near Ojai, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was felt widely and was followed by smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury, according to a dispatcher with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Tropical Storm Hilary first made landfall in Baja California on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of Ensenada. One person drowned. It then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border.

‘Thank God my family is OK'

Monday 21 August 2023 20:00 , AP

Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California from the coast to the desert resort city of Palm Springs and inland mountains, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers.

By early Monday, remnants of the storm that first brought soaking rains to Mexico’s arid Baja California peninsula and the border city of Tijuana, threatened Nevada and as far north as Oregon and Idaho with flooding.

Southern Californians were battling flooded roads, mudslides and downed trees.

“Thank God my family is OK,” Maura Taura said after a three-story-tall tree crashed down on her daughter’s two cars but missed the family’s house in the Sun Valley area of Los Angeles.

PHOTOS: Californians deal with aftermath of Hilary

Monday 21 August 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Dramatic video shows storm Hilary flooding Los Angeles Dodgers baseball stadium

Monday 21 August 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Aerial footage over Los Angeles has revealed the devastation wrought by Hurricane Hilary – the first tropical storm to strike Los Angeles since 1939.

Footage taken from a helicopter flying over the city shows the stadium for the LA Dodgers baseball team surrounded by water while the field inside is seemingly still spared from the floodwaters.

The footage was posted by the account dodgeraerial on Instagram and subsequently shared on other platforms.

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Dramatic video shows storm Hilary flooding Los Angeles Dodgers baseball stadium

Southern California prepares for more floods as post-Tropical Storm Hilary brings more rain

Monday 21 August 2023 18:30 , AP

Tropical Storm Hilary deluged arid parts of Mexico and then drenched Southern California from the coast to the desert resort city of Palm Springs and inland mountains, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers. Even as the storm subsides across the coast, flooding and mudslides were expected across the parts of the southwestern U.S.

The storm first made landfall in Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of Ensenada. One person drowned. It then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border.

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including Palm Springs, which saw nearly 3.18 inches (8 centimeters) of rain by Sunday evening.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm in its early Monday advisory, and warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected over portions of the southwestern U.S. on Monday. All coastal warnings were discontinued.

VIDEO: Southern California Braces for More Flooding After Being Hit by Tropical Storm Hilary

Monday 21 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Most significant rainfall over a 60-minute period any time in the history of Palm Springs’

Monday 21 August 2023 17:30 , Kelly Rissman

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Palm Springs on Sunday said the state had experienced “the most significant rainfall over a 60-minute period any time in the history of Palm Springs.”

“That’s how quickly this system is moving. Take nothing for granted,” Mr Newsom told a news briefing in Los Angeles.

The City of Palm Springs issued a warning via X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that 911 lines were down across the city. “Please call (760) 327-1441 for any police or fire related matter. Frontier Communications is working on the problem, but at this time there is no estimated time for repair.” Residents can also text 911, the statement added.

Both Governor Newsom and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo have declared states of emergency.

VIDEO: California faces Hilary, earthquake

Monday 21 August 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Palm Springs left completely cut off from rest of state by Tropical Storm Hilary flooding: ‘We’re stuck’

Monday 21 August 2023 16:30 , Kelly Rissman

Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Palm Springs with over half of a year’s worth of rain in mere hours—and cut off the city’s emergency services.

California officials declared a local state of emergency due to “unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways and at least one swift water rescue.” City officials also urged residents to stay home and to “avoid driving during these dangerous conditions.”

Dozens of cars are trapped in floodwaters across the city as well as in surrounding communities, according to ABC7.

“There’s no way in or out of Palm Springs and that’s the case for the majority of the Coachella valley. We’re all stuck. Our major freeway, I-10, is also closed in both directions. This is a very extreme situation at the moment,” said Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner on Monday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Palm Springs on Sunday said the state had experienced “the most significant rainfall over a 60-minute period any time in the history of Palm Springs.”

Read more:

Palm Springs left completely cut off by Tropical Storm Hilary flooding: ‘We’re stuck’

Live: Tropical Storm Hilary batters US-Mexico border

Monday 21 August 2023 16:15 , The Independent

Three cruise lines adjust their schedules to avoid strom

Monday 21 August 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Three cruise lines operating out of Southern California have adjusted their schedules to accommodate tropical storm Hilary.

Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean have both shifted the schedule of the Emerald Princess and the Navigator of the Seas, according to CruiseRadio.net.

Carnival Panorama, operated by Carnival Cruise Line, will not make its scheduled stop in Mazatlan, Mexico.

In a letter to guests, Carnival Cruise Line said that “Our Fleet Operations Center continues to monitor Hurricane Hilary. Due to the projected path of the cruise, we have modified the itinerary for your cruise. Unfortunately, we have to cancel our call to Mazatlan”.

Royal Caribbean told guests: “Along with our Chief Meteorologist, we’ve been closely monitoring adverse weather due to Hurricane Hilary. To maintain a safe and comfortable journey, we’ll now visit Ensenada, Mexico on Saturday evening, August 19, arriving at 7 p.m. and staying until midnight.”

Meanwhile, Princess Cruises noted that “as a result of Hurricane Hilary, and as the safety of our guests and crew remain our highest priority, Emerald Princess has adjusted her itinerary. She will arrive in Ensenada on Saturday, August 19 for a service only call, guests will not be able to go ashore. Emerald Princess will then head directly for Los Angeles arriving one day early on Sunday, August 20. Guests can decide to depart the ship on Sunday or remain onboard until the morning of Monday, August 21”.

More than dozen people rescued from San Diego riverbed as Hilary brings flooding to California

Monday 21 August 2023 15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

As many as 14 people have been rescued from a riverbed in San Diego in southern California as storm Hilary brought massive flooding to the area.

The rescue took place on Sunday night in the area near the Morena Boulevard Bridge in Mission Valley, according to NBC 7.

Firefighters and lifeguards responded to a call reporting that about 20 people were stuck in the river, San Diego Fire-Rescue said.

Read more:

More than dozen people rescued from San Diego riverbed as Hilary brings flooding

Hilary has already dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain

Monday 21 August 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years, Hilary has already dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including the desert resort of Palm Springs, which had seen nearly 7.6 centimetres of rain by Sunday evening.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and fire officials rescued 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water.

Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, said all campuses would be closed on Monday, as did districts across the region, while the Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement on Sunday that 911 lines were down and that in the event of an emergency to text 911 or reach out to the nearest police or fire station.

Tropical Storm Hilary is projected to weaken as it continues moving northward over California and into Nevada, but Richard Pasch, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, said “very heavy” rain and strong winds are still likely.

Mapped: The path of Tropical Storm Hilary bringing heavy rain and floods to California, Nevada and Mexico

Monday 21 August 2023 14:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Tropical Storm Hilary is expected to drive north through southern California into Nevada over the course of Monday having already brought heavy rain and flooding to the desert region, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers.

Although Hilary has weakened from hurricane status, millions expect more flooding and mudslides to come.

The Pacific front had drifted north along the coast of Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula before it made landfall on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles south of Ensenada.

One person drowned in Mugele when their vehicle was swept away and the Mexican military had to step in with bulldozers and dump trucks to help clear tonnes of boulders and earth that clogged streets and roads, as well as downed power lines.

The storm then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the US border.

Read more:

Mapped: The path of Tropical Storm Hilary

VIDEO: Tropical Storm Hilary making landfall in Baja California captured on satellite footage

Monday 21 August 2023 14:20 , Billal Rahman

Southern California braces for more floods as tropical storm soaks region from coast to desert

Monday 21 August 2023 14:00 , AP

Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California from the coast to inland mountains and deserts Sunday evening, prompting rescues from swollen rivers and forcing some of the nation’s largest school districts to cancel Monday classes. Millions braced for more flooding and mudslides, even as the storm began to weaken.

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary brought intensifying rain to the region, with some mountain and desert areas seeing more than half an average year’s worth of rain come down in just one day, including the desert resort city of Palm Springs, which saw nearly 3 inches of rain by Sunday evening.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and fire officials rescued a dozen people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water. Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Read more:

VIDEO: Hilary crumbles road in Santa Clarita

Monday 21 August 2023 13:40 , Gustaf Kilander

More than dozen people rescued from San Diego riverbed

Monday 21 August 2023 13:20 , Rachel Sharp

More than a dozen people had to be rescued from a San Diego riverbed on Sunday night as extreme flooding pummeled the area.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded to a call for up top 20 peopel stuck in the river near the Morena Boulevard Bridge in Mission Valley.

A rescue mission was launched with officials finding 14 people stranded on an island of the river.

Emergency services managed to rescue all 14 people, with two of them being treated for injuries.

WATCH: Heavy flows from Tropical Storm Hilary outside of Los Angeles

Monday 21 August 2023 13:01 , Josh Marcus

Tropical Storm Hilary causing flooding and waterways full of debris throughout the Los Angeles area.

AccuWeather captured this clip of a log-filled, muddy stream surge in Sheep Canyon, northeast of Los Angeles.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website