While it’s still dark over the west coast of North America, @NOAA‘s #GOESWest 🛰️ is keeping a close eye on powerful #HurricaneHilary, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 145 mph.
This GeoColor/#GLM composite imagery of #Hilary shows the distinct eye and frequent… https://t.co/Nw25SrIx3u pic.twitter.com/WTr3eAgbFI
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 18, 2023
Hilary, a powerful category four hurricane, is expected to make landfall in Mexico’s Baja California on Sunday and then weaken to a tropical storm before crossing into California Sunday night. In response, the National Hurricane Center issued its first ever tropical storm watch for Southern California on Friday.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.. The watch is in effect from the California/Mexico border to the Orange County/Los Angeles County line and for Catalina Island.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s advisory warning, Heavy rainfall in association with Hilary is expected to impact the Southwestern United States through next Wednesday, peaking on Sunday and Monday. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with isolated amounts of 10 inches, are expected across portions of southern California and southern Nevada. “Rare and dangerous flooding” will also be a possible impact of the tropical storm. Elsewhere across portions of the Western United States, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected.
High surf is also expected as a result of Hilary’s arrival. According to the advisory, swells generated by Hilary will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico and the Baja California peninsula over the next few days, and ABCÂ stated that Southern California beachgoers should also be mindful of high surf.
It is “exceedingly rare” for a tropical storm to make landfall in California, Stefanie Sullivan, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego, told the New York Times. She added that the only tropical cyclone to truly make landfall in Southern California was an unnamed storm in 1939 that made landfall in Long Beach.
