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‘Catastrophic’ flooding predicted for Southern California as Hurricane Hilary nears — the first major storm to hit the region in 84 years

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‘Catastrophic’ flooding predicted for Southern California as Hurricane Hilary nears — the first major storm to hit the region in 84 years


Hurricane Hilary is set to pummel Mexico’s northern Pacific coast Sunday morning before the storm hurdles north toward Southern California.

The National Hurricane Center warned of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding expected across Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and large swaths of southwestern United States through Monday.

The hurricane — which was downgraded to a Category 3 storm on Saturday, meaning winds of roughly 125 mph, after losing some steam overnight — has already started to dump rain on Mexico, with flash flood alerts already in effect ahead of the storm’s center, according to officials.

Mexican cities are expected to take the brunt of the storm, which is set to make landfall south of the port city of Ensenada on the Baja peninsula Sunday around 6 a.m. local time, forecasters said.

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The hilly border town of Tijuana is anticipating devastation. Prone to landslides and flooding, its shacks perched on cliffs and thousands of migrants living under tarps on the streets are especially at risk.

Hurricane Hilary is headed toward the Baja peninsula and is expected to bring intense rain, winds and flooding to Mexico and the southwest United States.
AP

“We are a vulnerable city, being on one of the most visited borders in the world and because of our landscape,” said Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramirez.

Mexico issued a tropical storm warning for mainland parts of the country and put 18,000 soldiers on alert.

“If your home is safe, be prepared to stay in it,” said Salvador Cervantes, head of civil protection in Baja California.


California cities are prepping for Hurricane Hilary, which will become a superstorm, and is expected to bring catastrophic flooding. A man walks past sandbags near the beach in Seal Beach, California.
California cities and preparing for flooding from Hurricane Hilary, which is set to hit Sunday into Monday.
AP

“If your home is not safe or is in a risk zone, request assistance to move to a temporary shelter or to a relative’s home in a safe area,” said Cervantes, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

As Hilary churns toward the Golden State, it is expected to weaken to a tropical storm, the first since Sept. 25, 1939 to make landfall in Southern California, the National Weather Service said. The storm is also predicted to be the wettest tropical cyclone in state history and was the catalyst for the first-ever Tropical Storm Watch ever issued for California, according to the state.

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Nevada and Arizona are also in for record-setting deluges. 

Officials predict said the storm could dump 3 to 6 inches in some areas, with a whopping 10 inches possible in isolated parts of California and Nevada.


Beach goers hold onto their tent in California as the state anticipates its first tropical storm in nearly a century.
Hurricane Hilary could be the wettest tropical cyclone in California history, and was the subject of the first-ever Tropical Storm Watch issued for California. Beach goers were already fighting rising winds, with the worst of the storm to come Sunday night.
AP

“The places most likely to be impacted by the flooding are going to be Western Arizona, Southern California and Southern Nevada,” said Jordan Overton, senior weather producer and meteorologist at Fox Weather. “Death Valley is a place that’s going to be impacted. Some of these desserts could easily get a year’s worth of rain from Hurricane Hilary.”

The heaviest rainfall is expected east of the mountains that border the coastal California cities.

“Rain gets pushed against the mountain slopes, which is where the most significant flooding is likely to be,” Overton explained.

Experts say the forecast rain is “unheard of” for this time of year in southern California, and comes after the state was battered by freak weather events last spring that caused widespread flooding. Hilary could even break Nevada’s rainfall record.

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Cal Fire Firefighter-Paramedic Capt. Tyler Williams checks the sandbags set outside of his garage in Seal Beach, Calif. Hurricane Hilary is churning off Mexico's Pacific coast and heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years.
California residents are prepping for Hurricane Hilary, which is set to bring up to 10 inches of rain to parts of the state.
AP

Officials as far north as Los Angeles are bracing for Hilary, rushing to get the homeless of the streets, setting up shelters and preparing for evacuations, according to reports.

“I don’t think any of us — I know me particularly — never thought I’d be standing here talking about a hurricane or a tropical storm,” said Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Major League Baseball games have been rescheduled and the National Park Service pre-emptively closed Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve.


California beach goers on Friday ahead of tropical storm on the way. A family hangs out around a tent on the beach.
Hurricane Hilary is headed toward southern California, where it is expected to the first tropical storm to hit the state since 1939.
AP

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has positioned personnel and supplies to respond in Southern California or other areas, President Biden said Friday.

“I urge everyone, everyone in the path of this storm, to take precautions and listen to the guidance of state and local officials,” Biden told reporters at Camp David.

Hilary formed 470 miles off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico, on Wednesday and became a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday night. It strengthened to a Category 4 storm Friday but lost some of its power overnight prior to the downgrade.

With Post wires

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California

Heavy Rain And Flooding Turn Deadly In California – Videos from The Weather Channel

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Heavy Rain And Flooding Turn Deadly In California – Videos from The Weather Channel




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SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from California (photos)

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SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from California (photos)


SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit early Sunday morning (Nov. 24).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft — 13 of which are capable of beaming service directly to smartphones — lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday at 12:25 a.m. EST (0525 GMT; 9:25 p.m. on Nov. 23 local California time). 

The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, touching down on the SpaceX droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean.

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The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a droneship shortly after launching 20 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 24, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the 15th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Twelve of those flights have been Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage hauled the 20 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, deploying them there about an hour after liftoff as planned, SpaceX reported in a post on X.

Sunday’s launch was the 115th Falcon 9 flight of the year. Nearly 70% of those liftoffs have been devoted to building out Starlink, the largest satellite constellation ever assembled.

The megaconstellation currently consists of more than 6,600 active satellites, and, as Sunday’s mission shows, it’s growing all the time.



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Northern California driver dies after vehicle found in floodwaters, 1 other found dead

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Northern California driver dies after vehicle found in floodwaters, 1 other found dead


PIX Now morning edition 11-23-24

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PIX Now morning edition 11-23-24

09:29

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SONOMA COUNTY – A man died when he was found in a flooded vehicle after an atmospheric river dumped heavy rain in Northern California, authorities said.

In Sonoma County’s Guerneville, first responders responded to a report around 11:30 a.m. Saturday for a vehicle that was seen in floodwaters near Mays Canyon Road and Highway 116.

The caller believed that at least one person was inside the vehicle.

When crews arrived, they said the vehicle was recovered but a man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been identified.

The Russian River, which flows through Guerneville, reached the flood stage on Friday evening and exceeded what was forecasted.

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This area went into a flood warning around 2 p.m. Friday and was still in place as of Saturday afternoon.

Guerneville is about 75 miles north of San Francisco.

Around 8:45 a.m. Saturday in Santa Rosa, a man was found dead in Piner Creek just south of Guerneville Road, the police department said. His death is being investigated. 

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