Hilary breaks records after making landfall in Southern California

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Hilary weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday as it made landfall in Southern California.

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The storm was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone by Monday morning, though forecasters warned it would continue to pose a flooding threat throughout the day.

No deaths, significant injuries reported in Los Angeles

Update 2:50 p.m. EDT Aug. 21: Fire officials have reported no significant injuries or deaths after Hilary dropped inches of rain on Los Angeles.

“We prepared, we provided an emergency response, and now we take steps to survey the damage,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference Monday. She added, “This was a coordinated, collaborative approach, and reports thus far indicate that as of right now, there have not been any deaths or significant risks of injury.”

Hilary broke records across Southern California, dropping nearly 2.5 inches of rain on downtown Los Angeles — the most seen on any August day since 1977, officials with the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office said.

In an update posted on social media, officials added that the rainfall totals showed that “virtually all rainfall daily records have been broken thus far,” including in Lewis Ranch where a stunning 7.04 inches fell.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Storm brings record rain amounts

Update 6 a.m. EDT Aug. 21: Record-setting rain continues to soak Southern California as now Tropical Storm Hilary moves northward through the state.

Areas in the higher elevations east and north of Los Angeles have seen rainfall amounts of between 3 to 6 inches.

According to the National Weather Service, several key records have been reached so far in several cities:

• Palmdale: 3.44 inches, a record for the month of August.
• Palm Springs: 2.82 inches a record for the month of August.
• Long Beach: 1.68 inches (Aug. 20 record, and second highest for August).
• Los Angeles: 1.60 inches (Aug. 20 record, and second highest for August).
• San Diego: 1.33 inches (Aug. 20 record, and fourth highest for August).
• Death Valley: 1.11 inches (Aug. 20 record, and second highest for August).

In addition to the rains, winds have been gusting up to 40 mph in the past few hours.

— Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Flash flood warning extended in Los Angeles County

Update 11:17 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: According to the National Weather Service, a flash flood warning issued for most of Los Angeles County was extended until 3 a.m. PDT on Monday, KABC-TV reported.

In its 8 p.m. PDT advisory, the National Hurricane Center said that Hilary had weakened slightly, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

The center of the storm was located about 105 miles northwest of San Diego and was moving north-northwest at 28 mph, the hurricane center said.

In a tweet, President Joe Biden said the government “stands ready” to provide assistance to residents of California, Nevada and Arizona.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Rainfall causes road collapse

Update 9:40 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Officials from the City of Santa Clarita, a suburb of Los Angeles, posted a video that showed a section of San Canyon Road collapsing during heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Hilary.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Hilary makes landfall in Southern California

Update 8:26 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Tropical Storm Hilary moved into Southern California on Sunday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In its 5 p.m. PDT advisory, the hurricane center said the center of Hilary was located 25 miles south-southwest of Palm Springs, California.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph near its center and was moving north at 23 mph.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

State of emergency in Palm Springs

Update 7:12 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Palm Springs City Manager Scott C. Stiles declared a local state of emergency “due to the critically dangerous impacts” of Tropical Storm Hilary,” officials announced. The city is experiencing “unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways,” and has had at least one swift-water rescue, according to KTLA-TV.

“Dinah Shore at the bridge from Palm Springs to Cathedral City, Farrell Drive between Mesquite Drive and Ramon Road, El Cielo at Mesquite Drive, Araby at the Wash, and Golf Club Drive at the wash are now shut down due to major flooding,” officials added.

Hilary moving closer to Southern California

Update 5:09 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: The core of Tropical Storm Hilary continued to approach Southern California. According to the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. PDT advisory, the center of the storm was located about 115 miles south-southeast of San Diego.

Hilary had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as the storm moved north at 23 mph.

A wind gust of 72 mph was recorded at Sill Hill, California, according to the hurricane center. A similar gust was clocked at Hauser Mountain, California.

According to the hurricane center, the storm is expected to speed up as it moves north-northwest toward Southern California. Hilary is expected to make landfall across Southern California later Sunday.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Las Vegas under state of emergency

Update 3:55 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Clark County on X, formerly known as Twitter, declared a state of emergency for Clark County, Nevada which includes Las Vegas. Clark County Manager Kevin Schiller said the declaration was made to make sure that additional resources are available if they are needed.

Death Valley roads flooded early Sunday

Update 3:15 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Roads in Death Valley National Park were flooded early Sunday morning, according to a statement from the park.

“Water is already flowing across roads in the park. It will get worse, and roads will be impassable,” the park said. Death Valley is also expected to “lose power, communications and potable water.”

Other parts of Southern California are facing flash flood warnings including Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Glendale, according to the National Weather Service Los Angeles.

San Bernadino under evacuation order, LA Unified to determine school closures

Update 2:43 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation order for parts of the county, according to its Facebook page. This went into effect Saturday evening at 7:15 p.m. PST, according to KCAL. Counties evacuated include Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks, and northeast Yucaipa.

Orange County has been issued warnings for those by the Bond Fire scar in Silverado Canyon and Williams Canyon, according to the news outlet.

The second-largest school district in the country, Los Angeles Unified, is expected to determine later Sunday afternoon if schools will be closed Monday, according to The New York Times. The district has 420,000 students.

Hilary makes landfall in Mexico

Update 2:10 p.m. EDT Aug. 20: Hilary has made landfall in Mexico just over the northern Baja California peninsula Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said, according to The New York Times. The storm will be moving into the northern part of Baja California in the next few hours. Eventually later this afternoon, it will move into Southern California with heavy winds and more rain expected.

Hurricane Hilary downgraded to tropical storm

Update 11:25 a.m. EDT Aug. 20: As the storm continues to move toward Southern California, it has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, according to The New York Times. The maximum sustained winds are 70 mph. The tropical storm is moving along the western coast of Mexico along the Baja California Peninsula.

The National Weather Service said heavy rain is expected in Southern California from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, according to the Times. Rain could also hit parts of Nevada and Arizona.

The National Hurricane Center said that the storm will reach parts of California over the next few hours, the Times reported.

Update 8:32 a.m. EDT Aug. 20: Hurricane Hilary weakened Sunday morning to a Category 1 hurricane as the storm is expected to bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and the southwestern part of the United States, The Associated Press reported.

The storm had maximum winds of 80 mph as it headed north-northwest at a speed of 21 mph, the National Hurricane Center said, according to CNN.

The National Weather Center said Hurricane Hilary is about 285 miles south-southwest of San Diego as of 5 a.m. local time Sunday, CNN reported.

The storm is expected to weaken but will continue to be “treacherous,” the AP said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Saturday evening declared a state of emergency for most of Southern California to have emergency response efforts in place, according to KTLA.

“California has thousands of people on the ground working hand-in-hand with federal and local personnel to support communities in Hurricane Hilary’s path with resources, equipment and expertise. We’re mobilizing all of government as we prepare and respond to this unprecedented storm,” Newsom said, according to the news outlet.

Original story: In the latest update, the National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Hilary has weakened to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, according to CNN. The forward speed increased to 17 mph.

Meteorologists are expecting the storm to bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and the southwestern part of the United States, The Associated Press reported.

The storm is expected to continue to be weakened as it heads closer to the U.S., the AP reported. The storm is expected to become a tropical storm.

The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm conditions are expected to start on Sunday. Winds could be strong and gusty in areas with higher terrain. NHC also said that gusty winds can be expected inland as well across the western part of the U.S.

The tropical storm is expected to be the first California has seen in 84 years. A tropical storm last made landfall in California in September 1939, according to officials with the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office.

As of Saturday evening, Hurricane Hilary is about 640 miles southeast of San Diego, according to CNN.

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