Tropical Pacific Storm Hilary made landfall in northwestern Mexico en route to California. The storm had previously weakened and was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm.
This reached the coast of Baja California, as the Mexican weather service announced on Sunday. The weather service predicted very heavy to heavy rain for the peninsula and the north-east of the country, as well as strong winds and high waves. According to the information, the sustained wind speeds of “Hilary” were last at 110 kilometers per hour.
“Hilary” has already claimed two lives
Nevertheless, the storm remained dangerous. According to media reports, “Hilary” has already claimed two lives. A man died as a result of flooding along the Pacific coast of northwestern Mexico, the newspaper El Universal reported. Accordingly, a delivery truck was washed away in the municipality of Navolato in the state of Sinaloa. The driver was found dead a few kilometers away.
Another person died trying to cross a river in the town of Mulegé, Baja California, according to the Milenio newspaper.
“Dangerous to Catastrophic Floods”
The US state of California, which borders Mexico to the north, was also preparing for the storm’s arrival. As the US hurricane center announced, “Hilary” moved faster than initially predicted and arrived in the United States on Sunday afternoon (local time).
The storm is a threat to Southern California, said the head of the national disaster management agency, Deanne Criswell, on Sunday morning (local time) the broadcaster CNN. “I would therefore like to encourage everyone to take this storm seriously.”
It was already expected that “Hilary” would weaken to a tropical storm by the time it arrived in California. However, heavy rains are expected in the south of the state, which includes cities like San Diego and the greater Los Angeles area, the weather service warned. In some areas, “dangerous to catastrophic floods” are possible.
State of emergency declared in Southern California
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for large parts of southern California on Saturday.
Authorities in California ordered some residents near the coast or on higher ground to evacuate their homes. Nature parks and various beaches have been closed and sporting events have been postponed.
California Director of Disaster Management Nancy Ward warned that Hilary could be one of the “most devastating storms” to hit the state in more than a decade. She pointed out that residents would have to be prepared for power outages.
