Tropical Storm Hilary swirls northward packing deadly rainfall along Mexico’s Baja coast

This Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 at 11:38 a.m. EDT, this satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Hillary (right) off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Expected to cross the border as a tropical storm on Sunday, Hurricane Hillary hit Baja, Mexico on Saturday, while the U.S. National Hurricane Center forecasts "devastating and life-threatening flooding" to the peninsula and southwestern United States. Headed to California. (via NOAA hotspot)

Ensenada, Mexico (AP) - Tropical Storm Hillary made landfall north of Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Sunday. Although no longer a hurricane, it still brings so much rain that forecasters predict that "devastating and life-threatening" flooding could spread across the country., a large area of ​​the southwestern United States

As of 8 a.m. Pacific time, Hillary was about 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of San Diego, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hillary's maximum sustained wind speed was 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour) and was traveling northwest at 25 miles per hour (41 kilometers per hour).

Mexico's cities of Ensenada and Tijuana are still in the path of tropical storms, and meteorologists warn that the storms are weakening but still dangerous.

A man drowned after his car was swept into a river in the Mexican town of Santa Rosaria on the peninsula's east coast on Saturday. Mreg Mayor Edith Aguilar Villavicencio said rescuers were able to save four more people.

It was not immediately clear if authorities attributed the death to a hurricane, but a video released by local officials showed torrents of water rushing down a city road.

Forecasters say the storm is expected to go down in history as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, causing floods, landslides, sporadic tornadoes, high winds and power outages. Authorities have issued an evacuation alert for Santa Catalina Island, calling out to residents and residents.

Southern California's mountains and desert could see up to 3 inches (7.62 cm) of rain per hour late Sunday morning through noon, said Elizabeth Adams, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's San Diego office.. Heavy rainfall during this time can cause widespread, life-threatening flooding.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and officials urged the public to complete preparations before sunset on Saturday. One expert said by Sunday it will be too late.

Hurricanes were the latest major weather disasters to hit the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Hawaiian island of Maui is still ravaged by wildfires that killed more than 100 people last week and devastated the historic city of Lahaina, making it the deadliest wildfire in more than 100 years in the United States. It became a wildfire. In Canada on Saturday, firefighters continued to put out fires during the country's worst fire season.

Hillary has already brought heavy rains and flooding to Mexico and the southwestern United States on Saturday, ahead of a storm expected to cross the border on Sunday. Forecasters warn that parts of southern California and southern Nevada could receive up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, equivalent to a year's worth of rain.

This will not reduce the threat, especially that of flooding, Jimmy Lomm, deputy director of the US National Hurricane Center, said at a press conference on Saturday announcing the waning of the storm. Don't be put off by weak direction or strength.

Meteorologists also expected the storm to cause "life-threatening" waves and rip currents, including waves up to 40 feet (12 meters) high, along Mexico's Pacific coast. Dozens were evacuated at the twin resorts of Los Cabos on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, while firefighters rescued families in San Jose del Cabo after the resorts were hit by rain and wind.

In Tijuana, Fire Chief Rafael Carrillo expressed fear in the back seat of his car.