Mexico and the southwestern United States are holding their breath as Hurricane Hillary approaches. This could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding, according to the US National Hurricane Center report. In California, Hillary is likely to become the first tropical storm in 84 years.
Hillary will visit Southern California on Sunday. It is a Category 3 storm with onshore winds of up to 129 miles (200 kilometers) per hour. Although wind speeds are expected to decrease somewhat, authorities in the United States are still concerned.
This is due to large amounts of rain falling in southern California and the neighboring states of Nevada and Arizona. This is expected to be highlighted on Sunday. It usually rains very little in the area. In some places, an amount can drop in a short time that is not normally reached each year.
This could lead to a flood. Cities’ drainage channels, rivers, and sewers were not designed for such large amounts of precipitation. Rocks can also shift and streams of litter and debris can start, according to the US Weather Service. This is a warning that villages can be cut off from the outside world. “Make no mistake, this is a very dangerous storm,” said Nancy Ward, California’s director of emergency services.
From 15 to 25 cm
CNN meteorologist Allison Chenchar expects 6 to 10 inches of rain in some places within 48 hours. “That’s several years of rain in a very short time. It will really cause floods and mudslides. This could be the case, especially in areas where there have been wildfires in recent years.”
Hillary already has one record to her name: It’s the first storm for which a storm warning has been issued for Southern California, where San Diego and Los Angeles are located. If Hillary does indeed reach the area as a tropical storm, it will be the first storm of this magnitude in 84 years.
The eye of the storm is expected to move north through Mexico’s Baja California starting Saturday evening local time – overnight from Saturday to Sunday Dutch time – and then reach southern California on Sunday.
sandbags
Precautions are being taken in the United States. For example, residents of some parts of California are given sandbags that are supposed to protect their homes from flooding. “We’re keeping a close eye on our desert areas east of San Diego and Los Angeles,” said an aide to the California governor.
An emergency center will open in Los Angeles on Sunday, with rescue personnel ready to deploy immediately. There are particular concerns about the city’s homeless community. The city government attempts to house the homeless in temporary housing, especially if they reside in parks or near water. Helicopters also announced an approaching storm.
In Nevada, 100 National Guard personnel have been dispatched to southern parts of the state to provide support. Gov. Joe Lombardo is urging residents to take precautions themselves.
Very warm sea water
According to meteorologists, Hillary was able to develop into a hurricane due to the high temperature of sea water in the area where it formed. Due to the heat of the past few months as well as the El Niño weather phenomenon, the waters are 2 to 4 degrees warmer than normal, with a maximum of 31 degrees, Weer.nl reports. “So there’s a lot of energy that Hillary has used to gain strength.”
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