Hurricane Hilary: Its Effects As It Approaches Southern California

what you should do

Hurricane Hilary is expected to intensify over the weekend, resulting in what could be a rare August shower for Los Angeles.
Southern California can expect moderate to heavy rain, with the most significant rain likely Sunday through Monday.
Flooding, gusty winds, and high waves are possible, but the timing and intensity depend on the storm’s track.

Little August rain is possible in Southern California this weekend as Hurricane Hilary intensifies and moves north off the Baja California Peninsula.

Hilary became a Category 4 hurricane as it moved up the Pacific coast of Mexico toward California.

Early Thursday, Hilary was more than 1,000 miles from Los Angeles, a long way off the southwest coast of Mexico.

By Thursday afternoon, the system strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane off the Pacific coast of Mexico, moving west-northwest at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds around 105 mph.

It was about 500 miles south-southeast of Los Cabos at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

By afternoon, the storm was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph with winds up to 120 mph.

The hurricane was expected to turn further north toward the US border.

Hilary is expected to become a major Category 4 hurricane by the weekend, impacting the Baja California Peninsula, San Diego and Los Angeles.

The storm will then lose strength as it approaches Southern California with wind speeds decreasing from 120 mph early Saturday to 70 mph Sunday night and 40 mph Monday night.

The greatest intensity of the system is expected on Sunday night and Monday morning

That means tropical humidity for Southern California Saturday through Tuesday. The region can expect moderate to heavy rain with the most significant rain likely Sunday through Monday. Most of the area will be under a flood watch from Saturday through Monday night.

Flooding, gusty winds, and high waves are possible, but the track of the storm will determine the severity and timing of severe weather.

Even small amounts of rain would be a rarity for Los Angeles in August, historically the area’s driest month of the year. Early rain estimates are 1 to 2 inches across Southern California.

No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service, but that doesn’t mean the region hasn’t felt its influence. The hurricane center said Hilary could briefly survive as a tropical storm and cross the US border.

Unlike the scattered showers earlier this month in parts of southern California, the next round of showers will likely be more widespread and heavy at times.

“Impacts from Hilary’s showers in the southwestern United States are expected to peak this weekend through Monday,” the National Hurricane Center said in a report. “Flash, urban and stream flooding are possible with the potential for significant impacts.”

Other affected area includes a stretch of communities between San Diego and Yuma, Arizona, and the area from Bakersfield to Tucson, Arizona could also see rain.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department has warned of the risk of flooding in areas recently burned by wildfires.

Follow these steps.

“County-wide flooding is possible with increased risk to residents near burn scars from the El Dorado Fire and Apple Fire,” the department tweeted. “Get ready. Sandbags are available now.”

Each fire station in San Bernardino County has bags and sand for residents who want to protect their homes. Sand and bags are free, so authorities recommend residents bring a shovel or tool to fill their bags.

For a list of places to get bags and sand in San Bernardino County, Click here.