Tracking the path of Hurricane Hilary as it sweeps towards Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, the National Park Service has proactively shuttered the gates of California’s Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve. The measure seeks to protect potential park visitors from being unwittingly marooned amid flash floods, as state and federal agencies brace for the hurricane’s anticipated impact.
While hurricanes and tropical storms are not entirely alien to Mexico, the storm’s trajectory towards southern California rekindles memories of a tropical storm clipping Long Beach almost a century ago, back in 1939. Today, this force of nature has initiated a tropical storm watch over parts of Mexico, triggering the standby of 18,000 soldiers ready to assist in potential rescue efforts as the storm threatens the familiar peace of the region.
The forecast reveals unsettling predictions of rainfall potentially amassing to 10 inches in parts of southern California and southern Nevada, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). With the anticipation of dangerous to catastrophic flooding, the region is bracing for the storm’s onslaught.
Hurricane Hilary, having evolved from a formidable Category 3 storm with winds clocking up to 130mph, is now reclassified as a Category 2 tempest, with prevailing winds reaching a harrowing 100mph. As per the latest update, the hurricane is approximately 285 miles southeast of Baja California’s westernmost point, Punta Eugenia and looks poised to make landfall later on Saturday.
From delaying high-stake rocket launches at SpaceX on the central California coast, to reshuffling Major League Baseball schedules in southern California, the impending storm’s ripple effects are already resonating across different sectors. Meanwhile, twenty-six million people in the southwestern USA are under flood watch following a warning from the National Weather Service over the potential of flash flooding in San Diego.
However, there is reason to believe that Hilary may not stay a hurricane for much longer. “Hilary appears to be weakening quickly,” mentioned John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC. The intensifying storm could potentially morph into a tropical storm prior to reaching southern California, which would mark the first tropical storm to hit the US state in over eight decades.
The circumstances have prompted governments and communities to reinforce their defensive strategies, as local officials distribute sandbags to residents across the region, in cities even as far away as Arizona. These measures are aimed at safeguarding properties against potential floodwaters, while authorities negotiate the balancing act between public safety and protecting livelihoods, in the face of this unpredictable force of nature.
Climate change continues to influence the severe weather patterns that currently afflict the US and several areas across the globe. These unprecedented weather events underscore the imperatives of addressing climate change and restructuring our societies to be more resilient, adaptable, and sustainable.
With the scars of July 2023 – the hottest month on record as stated by NASA – still fresh, and the memory of the deadliest wildfire in modern US history, which claimed 111 lives in Hawaii earlier in August, Hurricane Hilary adds to the present narrative of life-altering weather events influenced by anthropogenic climate change.
In the face of this imminent storm, US President Joe Biden assures that necessary infrastructural support is in place, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency having pre-positioned personnel and supplies in line with the hurricane’s trajectory. This readiness is a testament to the resilient spirit of the country while handling nature’s adversities, especially crucial for the storm-battered region awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Hilary.
