One person died in Mexico due to Hurricane Hillary. A state of emergency and a curfew were ordered in California before the storm subsided.
Hurricane Hillary has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone and is moving toward the southwestern United States. It no longer has the strength of a tropical storm, but it still features heavy rains and flash floods.
Southern California has a flood warning in effect, affecting 25 million people. A state of emergency was declared earlier, which has since been withdrawn by Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor.
Hurricane Hillary wreaked havoc in Mexico before California. Roads were swept away and streets washed away. Flash floods have killed one person in the Mexican state of Baja California.
According to forecasts, up to 12-25 cm of rain can fall at one time in the desert regions of California, as this is considered the average annual precipitation. Palm Springs received more rain in one hour on Sunday than it has in its entire history.
California had not experienced such a powerful tropical storm since 1939. Hillary caused flash flooding in several counties and people evacuated. In Ventura County, the US National Weather Service (NWS) issued a warning for 5 centimeters of rain within two hours. A 5.1-magnitude earthquake was also felt in Ojai, near Los Angeles.
Authorities expect a life-threatening flood wave: torrential rains have flooded roads, homes, shops and cars. A curfew was imposed in San Bernardino County until the hurricane passed.
Several cities were without electricity due to Hurricane Hillary. Disaster management personnel have also been warned several times, and professional sports matches have been postponed. Hundreds of flights have been canceled at airports in San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Interstate 8 to Arizona, 90 kilometers east of San Diego, had to be closed because a rockslide made the road impassable.
School districts in Los Angeles, Pasadena and San Diego ordered school holidays for Monday because of the hurricane.
