Hurricane Hilary roared toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Saturday as a "downgraded" but still the weatherman tagged it "dangerous Category 2 hurricane", prompting the authorities to announce a state of emergency.
According to the weather department, the weather is likely to bring “catastrophic” flooding to the region and cross into the southwest US as a tropical storm. Meteorologists warned that despite the hurricane's weakening, the storm's speed had accelerated on Saturday latenight, and urged people to finish their preparations by sundown. By Sunday, one expert said, it would be too late.
Storm is still expected to enter the history books
Forecasters said the storm is still expected to enter the history books as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years and bring along flash floods, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and widespread power outages. Heavy rainfall and flooding began on Saturday ahead of the storm's expected on Sunday crossing into the southwestern US, where it is expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain in southern California and southern Nevada.
"This does not lessen the threat, especially the flood threat,” said Jamie Rhome, the US National Hurricane Center's deputy director, during a Saturday briefing to announce the storm's downgraded status. “Don't let the weakening trend and the intensity lower your guard.”
Towering waves up to 40 feet expected
Meteorologists also expect the storm to churn up “life-threatening” surf conditions and rip currents — including towering waves up to 40 feet (12 meters) high — along Mexico's Pacific coast. Dozens sought refuge at storm shelters in the twin resorts of Los Cabos, at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, and firefighters used an inflatable boat to rescue a family in San Jose del Cabo after the resort was hit by driving rain and wind.
That city ordered all beaches closed for Saturday and set up a half-dozen storm shelters at sports complexes and government offices. Mexico's Navy evacuated 850 people from islands off the Baja coast, and deployed almost 3,000 troops for emergency operations.
President Joe Biden said Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had pre-positioned staff and supplies in the region. “I urge everyone, everyone in the path of this storm, to take precautions and listen to the guidance of state and local officials,” he said.
Hilary hurricane
Hilary on Friday had rapidly grown into an exceedingly dangerous Category 4 Major hurricane for a time with top sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) at its peak. Its maximum sustained winds initially dropped to 115 mph (185 kph) earlier on Saturday as a Category 3 storm, before further weakening to 177 kph — making it a Category 2.
By mid-afternoon Saturday, it was still 640 miles (1,030 km) south-southeast of San Diego, California. Moving north-northwest at 17 mph (28 kph), the storm was expected to turn more toward the north and pick up speed.
Forecasters said the storm was swirling off one of the westernmost spurs on Mexico's southern Baja peninsula. The hurricane was expected to brush past Punta Eugenia on that coast before making a nighttime landfall along a sparsely populated area of the peninsula about 200 miles south of the Pacific port city of Ensenada. Hilary is likely then to rake northward all the way up the peninsula and into Tijuana, before heading to the US in its historic path.
(With inputs from AP)
