Tropical Storm Hilary is heading for California and the southwest, and is expected to turn into a “major hurricane” by Friday.
The last time a significant tropical storm hit California was 1939, almost 100 years ago, according to MyRadar Weather. The extremely rare weather event is expected to make landfall in the Golden State after moving up through the Baja Peninsula and into San Diego. From here, forecasts suggest Hilary will hit Los Angeles by Saturday or Sunday, before moving inland through Las Vegas, Nevada, according to weather maps.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast Hilary will become a “major hurricane” Friday night, and will hit the U.S. throughout the weekend and into Monday. NWS is hopeful the storm will dissipate slightly over the weekend, and will turn back into a tropical storm by Sunday.
Here is the latest forecast info for Tropical Storm Hilary from @NWSNHC:
– Hilary forecast to become a major hurricane Fri night
– Hilary is forecast to impact #SoCal as a tropical storm on Mon
– 20-30% chance tropical storm-force winds, beginning as early as Sun evening#CAwx pic.twitter.com/mf6xU1OkDL— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 16, 2023
But other forecasters are not quite as optimistic. WeatherNation suggested the storm will be a category 3 hurricane by Saturday, and said all those living within the southwest need to prepare immediately. Similar forecasts were published by AccuWeather, which predicted the weather system moving northwards through California until at least Tuesday. (RELATED: Check Out The National Weather Service’s Amazing Word Gymnastics Over California Drought Questions)
California suffered from major atmospheric river and other extreme weather events throughout the start of 2023. It’s unclear how the storm will impact already overflowing water basins, which grew exponentially throughout the year due to both ongoing storms and snowmelt.
It is also unclear how California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to mitigate the potential impact on food crops throughout the state.