AP News is reporting that Hurricane Hilary may reach California as a very rare tropical storm.
Hurricane Hilary has rapidly strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast and could become a very rare tropical storm to reach Southern California. This potential event is predicted to bring significant and unusual impacts, including extensive flooding. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm watch for Southern California, marking the first time such an alert has been issued. With sustained winds around 145 mph, Hilary is expected to continue gaining strength before eventually weakening. Although it's anticipated to be a hurricane as it approaches Mexico's Baja California peninsula, it's likely to be a tropical storm by the time it reaches Southern California. Notably, the last tropical storm to make landfall in Southern California was in 1939.
The hurricane is forecasted to bring heavy rainfall to the Southwestern United States, with a particular focus on Sunday and Monday. This could lead to flash flooding in areas spanning from San Diego to Las Vegas. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches are expected in parts of Southern California and southern Nevada, with isolated amounts reaching 10 inches. Elsewhere in the Western United States, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are predicted.
SpaceX has postponed the launch of a satellite-carrying rocket from California's central coast due to challenging conditions in the Pacific that could hinder rocket booster recovery.
The Mexican government has issued hurricane watches and warnings for parts of the Baja California peninsula and a tropical storm watch for parts of mainland Mexico. The weakened hurricane is projected to potentially pass through sparsely populated areas on the western edge of the Baja peninsula before making its way to a more densely populated coastal region.
In preparation for the potential impact, the city of Yuma is providing residents with self-serve sandbag filling stations to help protect against flooding. Each vehicle is allowed up to five sandbags while supplies last.
*In a personal note - Ursa Nova is based in Los Angeles, CA where the tropical storm is expected to reach and have an impact - bringing home the conservative of climate change*
Source: AP News
(This article was written with assitance from ChatGPT)
https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-hilary-baja-california-arizona-406a3f7474eacb6222cedc33993d4657
