Tropical Storm Hilary hit the southern US on Sunday, the 20th of August, arriving a day earlier than usual to California and Los Angeles, causing massive flooding; a state of emergency has been declared, reports Reuters.
The storm’s status was lowered from a hurricane to a tropical storm by the National Weather Service and shortly after that California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across Southern California, warning of flooding. President Joe Biden has ordered federal aid.
Synoptics have said that mountain and desert areas could receive between 12 and 25 cm of rain, the same amount as deserts normally receive in a year.
The storm was moving northwards across Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It killed at least one person in Mexico and floods were reported washing out roads.
Videos and pictures of huge torrents ripping through the streets of cities are being posted on social media.
Hurricane Hilary brought heavy rain and flooding to Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
This is the situation in Baja California
pic.twitter.com/ijmqj13tYC
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 20, 2023
The San Diego area experienced its first tropical storm in history on the afternoon of Sunday, the 20th of August,
storm Hilary also became the first storm to rip through Los Angeles since 1939, causing severe flooding, reports Reuters.
In San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, evacuations have been ordered for towns in the mountains and valleys. In Ventura County, north-west of Los Angeles, the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding as rainfall reached 5 cm in two hours.
Major school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego also cancelled school on Monday as a precaution.
This is the first storm of its kind in 84 years to hit the state with record rainfall, flooding Los Angeles, including Hollywood, as well as desert areas such as Palm Springs and Death Valley.
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