Washington.- The United States National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Monday of the possibility of “catastrophic flooding”. in southern California by the passage of the storm Hilary, whose remnants continue to move northward accompanied by the potential for rain and landslides.
“Hilary is expected to produce a potentially historic amount of rainfall that can cause catastrophic flash flooding, including landslides and mudslides, as well as debris flows,” the agency said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of the southern part of the state that remains in effect this morning. About 25 million people live in the region.
Hilary, which reached a category 4 hurricane and made landfall on Sunday in Baja California, Mexico, has weakened to be a post-tropical cyclone.
The NWS forecast that the moisture associated with Hilary will continue to move northward through the Intermountain Region in the western part of the country.
In the mountains of San Diego County, the winds reached speeds of up to 135 kilometers per hour and in some places the precipitation reached 76 millimeters.
The Weather Channel indicated that in Palm Springs, rainfall exceeded 57 millimeters in just six hours, a volume equivalent to almost 50% of the rainfall in an entire year at that site.
The site with the highest volume of rain recorded so far was Raywood Flats, with 268 millimeters.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school system in the United States, reported that all campuses will be closed Monday. Other educational jurisdictions in the region followed suit.
Hilary’s arrival in the region coincided on Sunday with a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. The US Geological Survey reported that the tremor struck near Ojal in Ventura County and was followed by a series of tremors, including one that reached a magnitude of 3.6.
There were no reports of serious damage from the quake, which was felt in areas of Los Angeles, including Hollywood and Long Beach.
