he remnants of Hurricane Hilary are bringing life-threatening severe weather to parts of California and Nevada, with flooding even reaching the hottest place on Earth – Death Valley National Park.
Tropical Storm Hillary crashed into the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico on Sunday local time. The system then crossed the border into Southern California on Sunday afternoon, becoming the first tropical storm to pass over California since 1997.
Video: Tropical Storm Hilary making landfall on Sunday, August 20, 2023. Source: RAMMB-CIRA
The decaying former hurricane will continue to track towards the north on Sunday night into Monday, dragging a torrent of tropical moisture across parts of California and Nevada.
Image: Forecast track may for Tropical Storm Hilary, issues at 5pm PDT on Sunday, August 20, 2023. Visit https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?epac for the latest track map. Source: NOAA
Hilary is producing rainfall that is seldom seen in these parts of the United States.
The National Weather Service warns that Hilary will “produce potentially historic rainfall amounts expected to cause flash, urban, and steep-sided gully flooding, including landslides, mudslides, and debris flows.
“Severe, widespread flash flooding is expected. Areas that normally do not experience flash flooding will flood. Lives and property are in great danger through Monday.”
Here comes Hurricane Hilary.
A surge of deep tropical moisture will push through the desert south-west. A high-impact and extremely rare event for places like San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is on the cards. pic.twitter.com/8nXOsfsPGT
— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) August 20, 2023
Palm Springs International Airport received 58 mm (2.27 in) of rain in six hours on Sunday afternoon. This site’s monthly average for August is 3.6 mm (0.14 in).
China Lake Naval Air Facility, located near Ridgecrest just outside Death Valley National Park, received 63 mm (2.49 in) of rain in the 13 hours ending at 5:56pm local tine on Sunday. This is more than 20 times its July monthly average of 2.8 mm (0.11 in).
Image: Hourly rainfall observations at China Lake Naval Air Facility, ending at 6pm local time on Sunday, August 20, 2023. Source: NOAA
Hilary’s heavy rain is reaching so far inland that it is flooding desert areas in California and Nevada.
Death Valley National Park, internationally renowned as the hottest place on Earth, has been closed due to flooding. A warning on the National Park Service’s website states that “many roadways have already experienced significant debris flows, undercutting and complete shoulder loss.”
Incredibly, a shallow earthquake occurred to the northwest of Los Angeles as heavy rain was hitting the region on Sunday.
Visit the National Weather Service website to stay up to date with the latest warnings and advisories for Hilary.
