Southern California and the Southwest were bracing for more impact from Hurricane Hillary at once Monday morning. Meteorologists said more floods and mudslides are likely. The National Hurricane Center warned that some flooding could be “life-threatening and locally catastrophic.”
Hillary strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm before making landfall on Sunday, then downgraded to a subtropical hurricane early Monday morning. The hurricane center said it was expected to dissipate later today.
Floods have already affected many areas and several rockslides and mudslides have been reported.
Hillary was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years.
It dumped more than half of the average annual precipitation on some desert and mountain areas, including Palm Springs, which saw nearly 3 inches of rain Sunday night. Tens of thousands of people across Southern California have no power because of the storm and Palm Springs lost 911 service Sunday night, CBS News Los Angeles reported. The station said that the suburbs of Hillary still linger over greater Los Angeles and hit some areas with heavy rain early Monday morning.
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Where is the flood expected to occur?
Hillary “is expected to produce additional 2 to 4 inches of precipitation, with isolated storm totals reaching 12 inches, across parts of southern California and southern Nevada through today,” the hurricane center said. “Flash floods and urban floods are expected to continue, locally catastrophic.”
What’s more, 1 to 5 inches of rain was forecast across portions of Oregon and Idaho through Tuesday morning “creating spot flooding, some significant,” the center added.
In Nevada, officials remain concerned about dangerous flooding across the western Mojave Desert, which is at high risk for flash floods, “which is a rare occurrence,” the National Weather Service in Las Vegas said Sunday. Social media.
Southern California has been experiencing heavy rain in Los Angeles and surrounding counties, CBS News Los Angeles reported mentioned.
The National Weather Service said Ventura County was suffering Life threatening floods San Bernardino, Riverside and nearby mountains were at high risk of flash flooding. San Bernardino and Riverside counties released Evacuation orders Outgoing Orange County evacuation warnings.
Meanwhile, the Inland Empire and the Mountains are at high risk for flash flooding, with some communities expected to receive 6 to 10 inches of rain, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Among the many dramatic scenes Hilary plays:
How does Southern California deal with Hillary?
As of 5 a.m. ET Monday, Hillary was about 390 miles north of San Diego 75 miles northeast of Bakersfield, California and racing north at 29 mph with sustained winds of 35 mph.
Although it is no longer a hurricane, the system still brings heavy rains to the area.
This was the first time the National Hurricane Center issued a Tropical Storm Warning For Southern California, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency before she arrived.
President Biden said Sunday that he has asked FEMA to deploy personnel and supplies to California. Mr. Biden also said the Coast Guard had pre-positioned the planes to allow for rapid response and rescue efforts.
“My administration has also deployed federal personnel to Nevada to ensure the state has additional support, and we will continue to coordinate with California, Nevada and Arizona on any resources they may need,” Biden said.
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On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country, announce All schools, campuses, and after-school programs will be closed Monday due to the storm.
“This was not an easy decision,” the district said on social media. “Unified Los Angeles recognizes the unique and unprecedented nature of Tropical Storm Hillary, which garnered emergency declarations in cities, counties, and the state.”
The Pasadena Unified School District followed suit later Sunday night.
On Saturday, the California Department of Parks and Recreation ordered the temporary closure of all San Diego and Orange County beaches and several state parks.
Disneyland announced on Saturday that the parks will close early Sunday, with Disney California Adventure Park closing at 9pm, Disneyland Park closing at 10pm and Downtown Disney District closing at 11pm.
The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Los Angeles Angels have all moved their scheduled home games on Sunday to a doubleheader on Saturday in anticipation of the Storm.
When will Hillary hit Las Vegas?
Nevada will see heavy rain through Monday morning with potential flooding in Las Vegas and “significant flooding” in Death Valley National Park, The Weather Channel mentioned.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon due to the “imminent impact” of Tropical Storm Hailey across the state. “Significant damage to public and private property, including multiple transportation routes, is likely,” the announcement read.
This came days after he announced the activation of 100 National Guard forces before the tropical storm.