Hopefully, if you live anywhere in Southern California you’ve heard that an unprecedented tropical storm is headed our way this weekend (probably Sunday & Monday). Hurricane Hilary is currently a Category 4 storm and may increase to a Category 5 overnight, but will very likely downgrade to a high energy tropical storm by the time it hits land.
If you live in the inland deserts or eastern side of the coastal mountains: this is potentially a very dangerous storm! Some areas may see 2-3 years worth of rainfall in 24 hours. There will likely be flash floods, mudslides and power outages. Please be prepared! You should think about getting out to a more coastal area or to Arizona if possible. If you’re living in a trailer/mobile home or your car, please do whatever you can to get your household anywhere else.
It’s less likely to be nasty where I live (inland Los Angeles County), but there’s going to be high winds, intense rain and thunderstorms; burn areas may see mudslides. Power outages are very likely, and I’m preparing for one.
Dr. Daniel Swain is a climate scientist/weather geek/science communicator who’s very knowledgeable about California weather. Lately he’s been doing some livestreams on his YouTube channel WeatherWest. There is one from today about the current conditions and predictions, and he’s expecting to livestream tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday to talk about the impacts. He’s really great at explaining how these things work in plain(ish) language.
If you are not from California, it’s almost impossible for me to explain HOW WEIRD THIS IS! It’s fucking strange. We normally get zero precipitation in August. None. Not a bit. Not even ¼". Zilch. We’re expecting from 3"-11" depending on where the storm makes landfall.
