Hillary swept across California, USA, encountering a tropical storm head-on again in over 80 years | Tropical Storm Hillary | California
After bringing heavy rainfall to the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, Tropical Storm Hillary made landfall in California on the 20th, causing California to encounter a tropical storm head-on again after more than 80 years.
The National Hurricane Center of the United States predicts that the storm will further move inland and gradually weaken. During the process of moving through California towards Nevada, there may be "destructive" rainfall, with parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona potentially experiencing more rainfall than in the past year.
Encounter again after more than 80 years
Tropical storms are a once-in-a-lifetime event for Californians.
According to records from the National Weather Service, the last time a tropical storm made landfall in the region was in 1939. The storm made landfall on Long Beach in northern Los Angeles, causing flooding that resulted in 45 deaths in Southern California and 48 deaths at sea. Los Angeles received 5.66 inches of rainfall within 24 hours.
Currently, the National Hurricane Center in the United States predicts that Hillary will bring up to 10 inches of rainfall to southern California and Nevada until Monday. Forecasters say this is equivalent to the annual rainfall in areas such as the California desert and Death Valley.
According to California Governor Gavin Newson, when he left the desert resort of Palm Springs in Riverside County on Sunday, it was still extremely dry. An hour later, the area experienced "the largest rainfall in 60 minutes in history," and the streets were quickly flooded. Newson declared a state of emergency in most parts of Southern California last Saturday and issued flash flood warnings in these year-round drought prone areas.
It is reported that hundreds of flights in San Diego, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles have been cancelled, some Disney theme parks have been closed early on Sunday, and California's two largest school districts, the Los Angeles United School District and the San Diego United School District, have cancelled Monday's classes.
On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles government reported multiple impacts caused by the storm, including power outages throughout the city and two mudslides in the Sherman Oaks area, causing damage to multiple houses. According to BBC reports today, as the storm center passes through Los Angeles, at least 25000 households in the entire city are experiencing power outages.
Or it may cause multiple disasters to occur simultaneously
It is reported that Hillary had already been downgraded before landing in California. According to the National Weather Service, Hillary's path may bring heavy rain from California to Nevada in the next two days, dissipating over central Nevada or extending northward to Boise, Idaho. However, forecasters also indicate that these rainfall may to some extent alleviate the wildfires burning in multiple parts of Idaho.
The National Weather Service also stated that tornadoes may occur in some areas of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, with only one reported tornado occurring in remote areas of Arizona.
It is reported that Hillary can only be considered a typical tropical storm. David Gunberg, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard, pointed out that even though Hillary is predicted to cause up to 10 inches of rainfall in the mountainous areas of California, it is only half the amount of rainfall during a tropical storm in Florida, as hurricanes there will encounter much warmer seawater.
However, experts remind that even so, we cannot relax our vigilance too early. Gunberg said that such a large amount of rainfall in a short period of time may cause flash floods and other serious damage.
In Nevada, the government has warned that the desert areas outside Las Vegas are "highly likely" to experience historic severe flooding. In California, the San Bernardino County security department issued evacuation orders to residents living in mountainous communities on Sunday, stating that these communities have burn marks caused by recent wildfires, and that heavy rainfall may increase the risk of mudslides.