California, Nevada and Arizona Brace for 105MPH Winds from Hurricane Hilary

Southern California residents are ready for a once-in-a-lifetime tropical storm landfall. Meteorologists warn that the effects of Hurricane Hilary will be severely disruptive, devastating, and hazardous. Massive amounts of rain, in some locations more than would ordinarily fall in a year, can cause massive flash flooding.

AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned that a potentially fatal flooding disaster may occur in portions of the desert areas east of the mountains in Southern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona.

Hurricane Hilary likely peaked as a devastating Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph Thursday night, several hundred miles southwest of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Hilary was roughly 1,000 miles south-southeast of Los Angeles as of early Friday evening, with peak sustained winds of 130 mph.

The tropical system will most likely make landfall in Southern California as a tropical storm between San Diego and Los Angeles late Sunday night to early Monday morning. The sustained winds of a tropical cyclone range from 39 to 73 miles per hour. During a tropical storm, however, hurricane-force gusts of 100 mph or higher are possible. A tropical storm made landfall in Southern California 84 years ago, in Long Beach, in 1939.

For the first time in the local office’s history, the National Weather Service in San Diego issued a Tropical Storm Watch on Friday morning.

“The impact from Hurricane Hilary has the potential to be an extraordinary event, one that is rare and unprecedented,” said AccuWeather Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin.

“There will be some fluctuation in strength with Hilary into Saturday,” AccuWeather Tropical Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. “However, peak winds will steadily decline as the hurricane moves over progressively cooler water this weekend through early Monday.”

This time of year, water temperatures off the coast of Southern California are comparable to those near Atlantic Canada.

Despite a downward wind trend, the hurricane will track near to Mexico’s western coast, delivering severe wind gusts, pounding waves, coastal flooding, and erosion. Torrential rain with an AccuWeather Local StormMaxTM of 20 inches may cause life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides in this section of Mexico.

Hurricane Hilary has received a 2 on the AccuWeather RealImpactTM Scale for Tropical Cyclones due to the effects of heavy rain and strong winds in Mexico. AccuWeather Local StormMaxTM wind gusts of 110 mph are expected in Mexico.

Massive seas will pose a severe risk to vessels in the area. Forecasters strongly advise small craft to stay in port.

This weekend, large seas will build up around the Southern California coast, posing hazards to small ships and swimmers alike. Waterspouts and tornadoes are also probable.
From California to Nevada, there is a high potential of extreme rainfall, flash flooding, and infrastructure damage.

Even though Hurricane Hilary will not be a wind powerhouse for the United States, torrential downpours and the possibility of record rainfall will pose a significant risk to life and property.

According to DePodwin, coastal flooding can occur from Los Angeles to San Diego, accompanied with gusty gusts that can blow down trees, cause power outages, and cause modest property damage.

AccuWeather meteorologists issued a warning earlier this week for devastating and life-threatening flash flooding in Southern California and other portions of the southwestern United States in advance of Hurricane Hilary’s potentially historic rains this weekend through early next week.

From Southern California to Nevada and western Arizona, the worst weather will be from Sunday night until Monday morning. However, the region’s first downpours will move northward late Saturday and Saturday night.

The National Weather Service issued a high danger of extreme rainfall for Southern California’s low deserts to the eastern slopes of the mountains on Friday morning. This is the first time the NWS has issued such an advisory in the area in at least 13 years. Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley in California are among the high-risk areas.

This storm has the ability to dump an entire year’s worth of rain on Palm Springs in 24-48 hours. The arid town’s yearly rainfall average is slightly more than 5 inches.

A general 2-4 inches of rain is expected, with a foot or more possible in the heaviest areas of Southern California and west-central Nevada. A significant amount of rain will fall in less than 12 hours. The AccuWeather Local StormMaxTM rainfall forecast is 20 inches.

In addition to Palm Springs, torrential rain and flooding are anticipated from Hurricane Hilary in other desert cities and parks, including Las Vegas and Death Valley, which could turn into a large lake. The heaviest rain and severe flooding are forecast to continue well west of Phoenix, but flash flooding is possible in metro areas along the Colorado River basin.

The area’s infrastructure may be unable to handle the historic rainfall amounts.

“Across interior Southern California, road and rail line closures due to major flooding, washouts, and mudslides are likely, putting a significant strain on infrastructure,” added DePodwin.

Some major highways and rail networks may be damaged to the point of being closed for a lengthy period of time after the storm.

The amount of the flooding is expected to decrease significantly to the east and west of Hilary as it moves inland as a tropical rainstorm along a restricted track.

However, heavy rain and isolated flooding may spread as far north as Idaho next week, according to AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. Thunderstorms that explode on the outskirts of the rain zone have the potential to start fresh wildfires.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect from San Diego to Los Angeles.

While the mountains just inland will protect Southern California’s coastal districts from the greatest rain, downpours may cause localised flash floods in metro areas from San Diego to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. August is often a bone-dry month along much of Southern California’s coast.

The worst of Hurricane Hilary’s conditions, with difficult and risky travel, will worsen on Sunday and last until at least Monday morning. Some roadways may be flooded as a result of severe rain and ocean overwash, or they may be obstructed by fallen trees and power wires.

Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph are likely in coastal areas, while gusts of 60 to 80 mph are likely over the ridges and through some canyons.

Drivers could expect road closures and ground stops at surrounding airports. Large waves, severe winds, and vast offshore seas may also cause seaports to close for an extended period of time.

This weekend, all three Major League Baseball teams in Southern California (the Padres, Dodgers, and Angels) play at home, and all three may have rainouts. In the last 20 years, the Padres have only experienced three rainouts at Petco Park.
Hilary could have a significant impact on California’s agricultural region.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, California produces almost two-thirds of the fruits and one-third of the vegetables produced in the United States.

July through October are the busiest harvest months of the year, especially in the San Joaquin Valley, which produces the majority of the vegetables.

“A cool, wet spring has pushed the harvest of many crops behind schedule,” AccuWeather Agricultural Meteorologist Dale Mohler explained. “Fresh fruits and vegetables may be susceptible to mould and spoilage as a result of the storm’s excessive rain and further delays in harvesting.” Cotton may become discoloured, resulting in lower yields. Winds can cause almonds to fall to the ground, where they can mould or rot owing to the impending rain.”

On a more positive note, the harvest delay may prevent a calamity in the sultana sector.

“All U.S. raisins are grown within a 75-mile radius of Fresno, California,” Mohler explained. “Growers may simply postpone the already delayed harvest, which is just getting underway, until after Hilary’s rains have passed.”

If a significant number of highways and trains in Southern California are damaged, shipping of crops and other items from California to other parts of the United States may be delayed further.