The Angels. tropical storm hilary brought record rainfall to southern California in the western United States, forcing the closure of schools, roads and businesses before reaching Nevada on Monday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had declared a state of emergency for much of this typically dry area, where flash flood warnings remained in effect as of Monday morning.
The Los Angeles affiliate of the state’s National Weather Service reported late Sunday that several daily rainfall records had been broken in the region.
When the local population was already nervous before the arrival of the storm, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook the city of Ojai, in southern California, although no damage or casualties were reported so far.
hilary it unleashed a deluge that flooded several highways, turning them into rivers and stranding some motorists.
The start of the public school year was pushed back a day, with classes postponed in districts including San Diego, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Palmdale.
hilarywhich at its peak was a Category 4 hurricane – the second most powerful on the Saffir-Simpson scale of five levels – was downgraded to a tropical storm when it crossed from Mexico into the United States and later upgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. .
As of Monday morning, the nucleus of hilary it was located in Nevada, where it was expected to move quickly. The rain also spread to the states of Oregon and Idaho, according to the latest report from the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Locally catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” continued to be expected in parts of the southwestern United States, it added.
The storm was moving at a brisk pace of 55 kilometers per hour, with some stronger gusts.
Incidence of climate change
The local affiliate of the ABC television network broadcast images of intense flooding in parts of Palm Springs, where the police department announced a disruption of the 911 emergency call line on Sunday night.
Beaches were ordered closed and people packed into shops to stock up on water and other essentials. Flash flood warnings and even tornado warnings were issued in some areas.
Although the storm was decreasing in intensity, Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, for its acronym in English), warned that it will pose “a serious impact and threat to southern California.”
Five shelters have opened and more than 7,500 people have deployed, including several hundred National Guard soldiers and swiftwater rescue teams, according to the California governor’s office.
In San Diego, people filled sandbags to prepare for possible flooding, while lifeguards warned people to stay out of the sea.
Further south, in neighboring Mexico, one person died after a vehicle was swept away by a flooding river, according to Mexico’s Civil Protection, which warned of landslides and road closures in Baja California state.
The Mexican Army opened 35 shelters that provide refuge to 1,725 people affected by the storm
Scientists have warned that the storms are becoming more powerful as warming due to climate change progresses.
“We also have to look at how climate change is impacting with these severe weather events,” Criswell told CNN on Sunday. “What will the risk be like in the future?”.
