The National Weather Service has upgraded Hilary to a hurricane as the storm grows off the coast of Mexico. Hilary is expected to impact Southern California this weekend. Experts warn rain, wind and even flooding are possible in San Diego.
San Diego is expected to receive between one and four inches of rain starting Saturday through Monday. According to Accuweather, this amount of rain brings the potential for flash flooding, road washouts, and debris flows, along with fast-rising waters.
AccuWeather Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said, “Regardless of whether Hilary makes landfall in California, significant and potentially life-threatening flooding will be the main impact across Baja California as well as southern California, western Arizona and southern Nevada. Impacts from tropical cyclones in this region are not uncommon and have a history of causing damage.”
Accuweather currently believes Hilary will remain offshore. Whether the storm takes an eastward or westward track will affect how much wind and rainfall San Diego will receive, as well as surf conditions.
The County of San Diego has a more positive outlook on the storm, stating Hilary is expected to weaken before reaching this region.
Although not currently forecast, a landfall of the storm in the United States is not fully out of the question according to Accuweather. If it were to occur, it would be a very rare event – only occurring a few times in recorded history.
Visit accuweather.com to stay up to date on the storm’s trajectory and strength.
SDG&E announced on X (formerly known as Twitter), that their meteorologists are monitoring the tropical storm and crews are making preparations in advance for any storm impacts. SDG&E has not yet responded to a request for comment on whether the rainstorms are expected to cause outages or interrupt services this weekend.
County officials are offering tips on how to stay safe while driving during the storm.
Avoid driving in heavy rain conditions but if the trip is necessary:
- Slow down to avoid getting into an accident. It takes longer to stop when roads are wet. Allow yourself at least an extra 15 minutes or so to arrive at your destination to adjust for slower traffic.
- Turn on your headlights to see better and make it easier for other drivers to see you. It’s the law.
- Try to drive toward the middle lanes as water tends to gather in outside lanes.
- Defog your windows for better visibility. Rain can cause windows to fog up. Along the same lines, check your windshield wipers preferably before it rains again and replace them as needed.
- Avoid driving through deep water because it can affect your brakes. If you cannot avoid it, test your brakes afterward to make sure they’ve dried out and are working properly.
- Turn around, don’t drown. In heavy rains, never drive through a flooded roadway if you cannot see the pavement. Even a few inches of water running at the right velocity can sweep a car, and even a truck, and its occupants off the roadway and downstream. The same tip applies to trying to walk or swim across a flooded roadway.
- Give the cars in front of you extra distance. The spray from their vehicles — particularly from larger trucks and buses — can hamper your vision. And giving extra space to the guy in front of you also gives you more time to brake or adjust if you need to.
- Keep calm, don’t oversteer or stomp on the brakes if you start to hydroplane or skid when your tires lose traction with the wet road. The Department of Motor Vehicles says keep the steering wheel straight and take your foot off the accelerator so your vehicle can slow down slowly.
- Stay focused. Remember, it’s illegal, and dangerous, to try to text or use a hand-held cell phone when you’re driving.
- Slow down for the cone zone if you see highway or road workers ahead or to your side. Watch out for DPW crews and equipment.
For those who live in unincorporated parts of the county, the county is offering free sandbags to prevent debris clogging roads as well as mudslides and other issues.
ReadySanDiego.org’s Flooding webpage has more information about how to protect yourself and your property.
