One of the worst hits in 84 years, Hurricane Hilary is classified as a category four hurricane ever since it churned in the Pacific Ocean and finally crashed on the shore along the Mexican coast.
Starting from mid-August, Hilary has obliterated everything in its path. The eye of the Hurricane was formed on the coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
A few days later, as predicted, the Hurricane made landfall along a sparsely populated area 150 miles south of Ensenada on the Mexican Coast, further proceeding to Tijuana.
The Hurricane weakened and was categorized into a tropical storm, traveling to the Southern California region, while the landfall caused immense flooding, mudslides, and rock slides.
Hurricane Hilary avoided Las Vegas but has completely flooded Mt. Charleston. Residents are left without power or clean water. If fresh water is needed, residents have been advised to boil water.
— Las Vegas Issues (@VegasIssues) August 22, 2023
If that wasn’t enough, an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude hit Ojai in Southern California. Soon Twitteratti trended “Hurriquake” in the wake of rising concerns that the earthquake juxtaposed with Hurricane Hilary might lead to a Tsunami.
The National Weather Services issued an urgent alert for “life-threatening” flooding across the Southwestern areas of the USA. After passing through Los Angeles, the storm is set to hit the North of Idaho.
Just for posterity, here's a 72-hour GOES-East water vapor loop showing Hilary's quick decline from major hurricane to post-tropical cyclone. Tropical moisture is now wrapping around the northern periphery of the record-breaking heat dome over the central U.S.
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) August 22, 2023
Is Hurricane Hilary Over?
Hurricane Hilary has devolved into a category-one tropical storm. But the flooding has intensified in the past couple of days. In the recent update, the Dodger Stadium appears to be submerged in water, although it was confirmed that there was no flooding in that area.
Depressing stat of the day: Death Valley, California saw more rain in one day with Hurricane Hilary (2.2") than Austin has seen all summer (1.2" since June 1st)
If we don't get another drop of rain through August 31st, it'll be our driest summer in 123 years #txwx
— Avery Tomasco (@averytomascowx) August 22, 2023
Hurricane Hilary has weakened considerably, and the storms are moving toward the Southwestern states of the USA. Rain is still pouring in some areas and caused slippery roads.
Hurricane Hilary seems to be dissipating, but deputy director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Brian Ferguson, told CBS News on Monday–
“We are not out of the woods yet.”
“The back end of this storm is still impacting us. We could still see mudslides today as that ground gets saturated.”
According to the latest reports, no fatalities have been reported in the state from the Hurricane. Ferguson further stated that damage to residences and critical infrastructure was “very minimal.”
Due to multiple calamities striking simultaneously, Ferguson assures that the state is prepared for the unforeseeable circumstances.
“Having multiple, complex, overlapping disasters is something that we’ve had at multiple times in recent years, and unfortunately, our state has had the opportunity to get pretty good at this work.”
Do you think Hurricane Hilary will strike back, or is it over? Are you living in the areas directly affected by the storms?
Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below.