Hurricane Hilary strengthened to a Category 4 storm off the coast of Mexico Friday and was barreling towards the Southwest — threatening to drench Southern California this weekend as the state’s first tropical storm in nearly a century.
The hurricane — the eighth named storm of the season — packing wind speeds of close to 145 mph was expected to continue intensifying throughout Friday before starting to weaken, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The weather system was projected to still be a hurricane when it reached Mexico’s Baja California Saturday night, before being downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved toward Southern California Sunday.
Meteorologists warned that Hilary could cause “significant and rare impacts,” including flooding, in the Golden State, which has not experienced a tropical storm since Sept. 25, 1939.
Early Friday, the hurricane was moving over the Pacific Ocean about 400 miles south of the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas and traveling west-northwest at 13 mph.
It was expected to pivot north Saturday, moving through the Baja California peninsula.
The Mexican government extended its hurricane watch and tropical storm warning northward for parts of Baja California Sur state, and also issued a tropical storm watch for parts of mainland Mexico.
A weakened Hilary was expected to batter the coast Sunday night between the cities of Playas de Rosarito and Ensenada, before crossing the border into the US.
“Heavy rainfall in association with Hilary is expected to impact the Southwestern United States through next Wednesday, peaking on Sunday and Monday,” the hurricane center said.
There was a high risk of torrential rain and possible flash flooding in an area stretching from San Diego to Las Vegas.
A flood watch was issued for California’s Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“Rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, with isolated amounts of 10 inches, are expected across portions of southern California and southern Nevada, which would lead to significant and rare impacts,” the center warned. “Elsewhere across portions of the Western United States, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected.”
Hilary formed 470 miles off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico, Wednesday and became a hurricane Thursday, escalating to a Category 3 storm by nighttime.
A storm that has sustained winds of 39 mph earns a name. Once winds reach 74 mph, a storm is classified as a hurricane. At 111 mph, the system becomes a major hurricane.
With Post wires
