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How strong is Hurricane Hilary? Historic rainfall predicted as navy rushes to aid affected

The hurricane is expected to bring heavy rainfall along with strong winds from Sunday, August 20, through Monday, August 21

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hurricane Hilary experienced three downgrades on Saturday, August 19, transitioning swiftly from Category 4 to Category 1 as the evening approached.

When the hurricane advanced north, its strength diminished, resulting in a downgrade to Category 2 around 3 pm on Saturday and further downgrading to Category 1 at approximately 8.20 pm, as per CBS News. Despite this, the storm's arrival in Southern California is anticipated to be earlier than initially projected. 

How strong is Hurricane Hilary?

As per the forecast, Hurricane Hilary is expected to turn into a tropical storm over a significant portion of Southern California early on Sunday, August 20. In traditional terms, Category 1 hurricanes typically involve wind speeds with strength ranging from 74 to 95 miles per hour. 

Despite the downgrade, the storm is expected to remain impactful, bringing heavy rainfall that could trigger flash floods in certain mountainous and foothill regions, coupled with strong winds from Sunday, August 20, through Monday, August 21. 

US Navy is prepared to deploy aid for Hurricane Hilary

The US Navy has revealed plans to deploy several of its warships to San Diego Bay in order to assist in the coordination and security of boats within the port as the hurricane approaches the area.

Authorities in Los Angeles are taking precautions by establishing shelters and actively relocating homeless individuals residing in the city's well-known dry riverbed. This preemptive action is being taken to prevent the riverbed from flooding with water.

Hurricane Hilary updates 

This situation surrounding Hurricane Hilary has triggered the first Tropical Storm Watch warning ever issued for Southern California.

On the morning of Saturday, August 19, the National Weather Service moved up the start time for the Flood Watch in LA County to 10 am for Sunday, August 20, due to the storm's faster movement than what was predicted earlier.

Moreover, in a late Saturday update on social media, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the Eastern Pacific advised residents to get ready for possible flooding. This is due to the potential for a "historically high amount of rainfall" and the possibility of "serious flooding impacts" expected to start on Sunday, August 20, and continue through Monday, August 21.

The National Hurricane Center of the Eastern Pacific took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "8 pm PDT Sat Aug 19 Key Messages for Hurricane #Hilary: Catastrophic flooding impacts are expected late tonight through early Monday in portions of the Southwestern United States. Hurricane conditions are expected along the west-central coast of the Baja Peninsula later tonight."

The NHC watch applies to Catalina Island, the Antelope Valley foothills, Santa Clarita Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, as well as the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeway corridors in Los Angeles County.

It also includes Orange County coastal and inland regions, the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills, and various areas in San Diego County such as coastal, desert, mountain, and valley areas.

Evacuation orders for Hurricane Hilary

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 19, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department advised both visitors and residents on Catalina Island to evacuate the location, as per CBS News.

In the evening of the same day, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department mandated evacuations for the following areas due to the approaching storm: Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks, and NE Yucaipa.

Additionally, in Orange County, alerts were issued for residents residing close to the Bond Fire burn scar in Silverado Canyon and Williams Canyon.