Mexico braced Friday for the arrival of a powerful Pacific hurricane that also prompted an unusual tropical storm watch for southern California, where heavy rain and possible flooding was expected.
Hurricane Hilary threatened to bring strong winds, flash flooding and “life-threatening” surf and rip current conditions to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Businesses in the Mexican tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas began preparing for the storm’s arrival, laying sandbags and putting away furniture as large waves crashed ashore.
Hilary was packing maximum sustained winds of about 145 miles (230 kilometers) an hour, according to the NHC.
That made it a Category Four hurricane — the second-most powerful on the Saffir-Simpson scale of one to five.
“On the forecast track, the center of Hilary will move close to the west coast of the Baja California peninsula over the weekend and reach southern California by Sunday night,” the NHC forecast.
Hilary was located about 360 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California, it said.
A hurricane warning was issued for a stretch of coastline in Baja California from Punta Abreojos to Punta Eugenia, and a hurricane watch from north of Punta Eugenia to Ensenada.
A tropical storm watch was in effect from the California/Mexico border to the Orange/Los Angeles County Line and for Catalina Island, according to the NHC.
“Fluctuations in intensity are likely over the next day or so,” it predicted.
“Weakening is expected to begin by Saturday, but Hilary will still be a hurricane when it approaches the west coast of the Baja California peninsula Saturday night and Sunday. Hilary is expected to weaken to a tropical storm by Sunday afternoon before it reaches southern California,” it added.
The storm brought rain and rough seas to areas along Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast, including the tourist resort of Acapulco.
In the United States, “rainfall amounts of three to six inches, with isolated amounts of 10 inches, are expected across portions of southern California and southern Nevada. Rare and dangerous flooding will be possible,” the NHC said.
Hurricanes hit Mexico every year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, usually between May and November.
Although their remnants sometimes affect California, it is rare for cyclones to hit the US state with tropical storm intensity.
