Tropical Storm Hilary is expected to hit LA on Sunday with winds up to 80 mph
- Tropical Storm Hilary is currently brewing off the coast of mainland Mexico and is expected to develop into a hurricane Thursday at 1 p.m.
- By Sunday afternoon, Hilary is expected to become a minor hurricane and then hit Southern California and potentially Los Angeles as a tropical storm.
- The National Weather Service has warned of potential flooding, fire hazards and dangerous sea conditions
A rare hurricane is expected to hit Southern California as early as Sunday morning, bringing dangerous 70 mph winds and downpours, forecasters said.
Tropical Storm Hilary is currently brewing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of mainland Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane Thursday at 1 p.m. and a major hurricane Saturday at 1 a.m.
By Sunday afternoon, Hilary is expected to become a lesser hurricane and then hit Southern California and potentially Los Angeles as a tropical storm.
Only two full-fledged tropical storms have hit the California coast in the past century.
“While it is too early to determine the location and extent of precipitation and wind impacts, interests in these areas should monitor Hilary’s progress and forecast updates,” the National warned Wednesday. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tropical Storm Hilary is currently brewing off the coast of mainland Mexico and is expected to develop into a hurricane Thursday at 1 p.m.
A rare hurricane is expected to hit Southern California as early as Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center
“Large swells from Hilary will propagate north along the southwest coast of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula over the next few days,” the agency explained.
The hurricane’s track is proving difficult to accurately predict which areas will be hardest hit.
According to the forecasters: “There remains a very large gap in the ultimate trajectory, so this remains a very low confidence forecast in terms of trajectory as well as impacts.
‘However, that said, virtually all members of the GEFS ensemble are experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall amounts, particularly south of Pt. Conception.’
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said residents should monitor the situation closely due to the risk of isolated flooding.
There is also the danger of lightning and if it arrives with wind but no rain, it could create a fire danger.
The NWS also warned that the storm could bring dangerously large waves.
Hilary, the service said, “will bring the potential for hazardous marine conditions to all coastal waters beginning this Sunday.”
A winter storm caused damage in San Clemente, California in March this year
Areas of California including Merced (pictured) experienced extreme flooding in January after a massive storm hit the state
“While the wind/weather impacts of these systems on the local area are highly uncertain, steep and long duration southerly swells and high waves will be possible over the coming weekend and beyond,” said the NWS.
The storm would be the third to hit the California mantle in the past century.
Hurricane Nora in 1997 after being downgraded to a tropical storm and Long Beach Tropical Storm which made landfall near San Pedro in 1939.
No tropical cyclone has ever made landfall in California with hurricane intensity in recorded history.
