California
What happened the last time a tropical storm hit California in 1939
A historic storm could be headed for California this weekend, one the state hasn’t seen in almost a century. Hurricane Hilary is on track to barrel toward Southern California, possibly making landfall on Sunday as a tropical storm. This type of weather event is incredibly rare for the state, according to the weather service, and the last time one hit California was on Sept. 25, 1939.
That fall, Southern California was suffering from an intense heat wave, with temperatures reaching as high as 107 degrees, when the warning of a growing storm started to ripple through the coast. The hurricane began forming around Sept. 15 off the coast of Central America and made its way slowly toward California. Its intensity was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it started raining in Los Angeles on the evening of Sept. 24, but the winds that were about to hit California hadn’t been experienced in decades. (An 1858 storm off San Diego was officially classified as a hurricane, though it never made landfall.)
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Severe gale force winds hit San Pedro on Sept. 24, measuring up to 65 mph and pummeling Los Angeles 5.42 inches of rain in 24 hours, according to Los Angeles Times reports from the time. The Los Angeles River became a “raging torrent,” as described in the Times, and half the city’s phone lines went out due to the wind and downed trees.
Rain totals were highest on Mount Wilson, which received 11.88 inches of rain, and Mount Baldy, which saw 7.92 inches of rain, according to the Times.
An Associated Press report at the time called it a “violent storm,” and at least 45 people perished on land, with 48 dying at sea. Twenty-four of the deaths occurred on the fishing vessel Spray, which capsized. An Associated Press report on Sept. 26 warned that more two dozen boats “had not been heard from since the storm broke.”
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Reports assessed property damage at more than $1 million (about $22 million in today’s dollars), with some homes crumbling into the ocean. In Long Beach, at least a dozen homes were destroyed along the coast.
One school in Inglewood attempted to weather the storm. Students were ferried to the building by boat, but class was later dismissed when the lake continued to balloon in size.
Railroad tracks washed out in several parts of the state, including 150 feet of track in the Coachella Valley. Infrastructure damage was extensive, with roads and highways closed or flooded and bridges washed out. In Indio, a deluge of 5 inches of rain came down in just seven hours.
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The storm, which also became known as “the Lash of St. Francis” or El Cordonazo, did have one upside — there was no weather bureau in the area at the time, and the devastating effects led to its creation in 1940.
Northern California didn’t see much influence from the storm, aside from slightly cooler temperatures than normal. San Francisco got a drizzle — 0.08 inch of rain in the 24-hour period recorded on Sept. 25, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
More California Storm News
California
California Shelves Repeal of 1950 Housing Law That Stoked Racial Tension | KQED
“While SCA 2 was one of many efforts to help address the housing crisis, the November’s ballot will be very crowded, and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” Allen said in a statement. “In addition, the legislature recently passed my SB 469, which substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production.”
SB 469 clarifies that the use of state affordable housing dollars does not trigger Article 34’s requirement for voter approval. Allen said his focus is on determining whether these efforts are “making a significant dent in addressing the problem,” adding that quickly building more affordable housing is a priority.
Backed by the California Real Estate Association, the forerunner to the current California Association of Realtors, Article 34 was first adopted by voters in 1950. Realtors played on voters’ fears that affordable housing would lead to greater racial integration of exclusively white neighborhoods.
CAR issued a formal apology in 2022 for its past support of Article 34, with association President Otto Catrina condemning the actions and vowing to address the legacy of its “discriminatory policies and practices.”
The organization “remains a strong supporter of the repeal of Article 34 … which adds unnecessary hurdles and costs to the creation of affordable housing,” CAR spokesperson Sanjay Wagle said in a statement.
Wagle noted that a majority of Californians support repealing the provision but cited research showing a voter education campaign would be needed to explain the article’s effects.
“The cost of such a campaign in an election year with so many initiatives on the ballot made this campaign more costly and difficult, thus making it more logical to pursue a repeal on a future ballot,” Wagle wrote. “We thank Sen. Allen and Sen. Wiener for their efforts on this repeal effort and look forward to working [with] them and other stakeholders on this issue in the future.”
California
California Quarterback Commits to Penn State’s 2026 Recruiting Class
Though Penn State has been busily filling its 2025 recruiting class in June, the program hasn’t stopped looking ahead. The Nittany Lions on Tuesday received a commitment from 4-star California quarterback Troy Huhn, who became the second player in Penn State football’s 2026 recruiting class.
Huhn (6-4, 205 pounds) will be a junior at Mission Hills High, just north of San Diego. He threw for 1,623 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Huhn quickly built a strong offer sheet that included Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Auburn and Notre Dame, among many others. Huhn took an unofficial visits to Ohio State and Penn State in June, committing to the Nittany Lions two weeks after his trip.
Huhn is the 2026 recruiting class’ 10th-rated quarterback prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, and a top-15 player in California. On3 ranks Huhn highest among the major recruiting services, slotting him at No. 60 nationally and sixth at quarterback.
Huhn, who committed to Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, spent time with head coach James Franklin during his unofficial visit. He told Sean Fitz of Blue-White Illustrated that Franklin made an impression.
“Coach O’Brien was great, but really my main thing when I was getting out there was to have more time with coach Franklin. They definitely gave that to me,” Huhn said in his interview with Blue-White Illustrated. “I really felt the love from coach Franklin. He’s very business, he’s awesome, he’s a funny guy. My mom loves him, he loves my mom. That relationship with him is now a lot better and I’m glad I got to spend that time with him.”
Huhn joins Harrisburg athlete Messiah Mickens on the ground floor of Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. Mickens committed to Penn State in August 2023. Penn State had been recruiting several 2026 quarterbacks alongside Huhn. One of their targets, Dia Bell, recently committed to Texas.
Huhn’s commitment continued a prolific stretch for the Nittany Lions. Franklin and his staff have received commitments from five players in a four-day stretch. Four of them committed to Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class.
The most recent 2025 commitment belonged to Max Granville, a 4-star prospect from Texas and first-team all-state honoree as a junior. Granville, who will be a senior at Fort Bend Christian Academy, is rated as a 4-star linebacker according to the 247Sports Composite. However, the 6-3, 220-pound Granville projects at defensive end and was recruited by Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes. Granville chose Penn State after making an official visit to State College earlier in June. He also visited USC, Texas A&M and Oklahoma in June and took an official visit to Baylor in April.
Penn State opens the 2024 football season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff on FOX.
More Penn State Football Recruiting
Penn State receives commitment from 4-star Maryland prospect
Versatile New Jersey prospect commits to the Nittany Lions
Former Penn State linebacker commit switches to Rutgers
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
California
Butte County issues evacuation orders for Apache wildfire
(FOX40.COM) — An evacuation order is in effect for areas of Butte County amid a wildfire, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, BCSO issued an evacuation order for the Apache Fire on the south side of Grubbs Road between Crossa Country Road and Alta Arosa Drive in zones 884 and 885. Shortly after, evacuation orders were also issued for all of zone 884, 865, 866, 868, and 869. For information about zone locations click or tap here.
An evacuation warning was also issued for zones 867 and 883.
At 9:45 p.m., the Apache Fire has burned through 466 acres, according to Cal Fire. By 10:30 p.m. it reached more than 650 acres.
For more information visit www.buttecounty.net, or call (833) 512-5378.
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