A powerful Category 4 storm, Hurricane Hilary has intensified overnight and poses a threat to Baja California and the southwestern United States. The image is courtesy of NOAA.
(UPI) —Hurricane Hilary has quickly grown into a “large and powerful” Category 4 storm, posing a threat to Baja California and the southwestern United States. However, it is expected to weaken significantly over the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update.
In the NHC’s 3 a.m. MDT update, the storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 145 mph on Friday morning. Just the day before, it had become a hurricane with winds of 75 mph. The rapidly intensifying storm is currently located around 110 miles south of Socorro Island and 400 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It is moving in a west-northwest direction at a speed of 13 mph.
“Hilary is a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane,” stated the National Hurricane Center on Friday morning. “There is a possibility of significant flooding impacts across portions of the Baja California Peninsula and the southwestern United States early next week.”
Although Hilary is expected to start weakening on Saturday, it will still retain hurricane strength as it approaches the west coast of the Baja California peninsula on Saturday night and Sunday.
By Sunday afternoon, Hilary is anticipated to downgrade to a tropical storm before reaching southern California.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 290 miles,” stated the National Hurricane Center.
Currently, tropical storm warnings have been extended by Mexican officials on the west side of the Baja California peninsula to Punta Abreojos, and on the east side of the Baja California peninsula to Loreto.
“The hurricane watch on the west side of the Baja California peninsula has been extended northward to San Jose de Las Palmas,” added the center. “The tropical storm watch on the east side of the Baja California peninsula has been extended northward to Bahia de Los Angeles.”
Forecasters predict that Hilary will bring up to 10 inches of rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds to certain areas as it approaches the Baja California peninsula over the weekend.
Until Sunday night, Hilary is expected to produce 3-6 inches of rain in various parts of the Baja California peninsula, with isolated areas receiving up to 10 inches of rain that may lead to flash flooding.
In addition, heavy rainfall of 2-4 inches is expected to affect the southwestern United States from Friday through early next week. In some cases, this rainfall could reach over 8 inches in southern California and southern Nevada.
Over the next few days, large wave swells generated by Hilary are expected off the southwestern Mexican coast and Baja California.
In May, the NHC predicted a “near-normal” hurricane season, and in June, the Climate Prediction Center announced the development of an El Nino weather phenomenon.
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