Photo Credit: AP
Southern California and the Southwest were girding for more impact from onetime Hurricane Hilary Monday morning. More flash flooding and mud and rock slides were possible, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center warned that some flooding could be "life-threatening and locally catastrophic."
Hilary strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm prior to making landfall Sunday, then was downgraded to a subtropical cyclone early Monday morning. The system was expected to dissipate later in the day but still produce heavy rainfall, significant flooding and gusty winds across the western U.S.
Flooding was already impacting many areas and numerous rock and mud slides were reported.
Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years.
It dumped more than half the average annual rain on some desert and mountain areas, including Palm Springs, which saw nearly 3 inches of rain by Sunday evening. Tens of thousands of people across Southern California had no power due to the storm and Palm Springs lost 911 service Sunday night, CBS News Los Angeles reported. The station said Hilary's outskirts were still lingering over greater Los Angeles and battering some regions with heavy rain early Monday morning.
The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said flood watches were in effect for Southern California, northwest Arizona, much of Nevada, southwest Utah, eastern Oregon, western and central Idaho and southeast Washington. A flood watch means flooding is possible in those areas.
[CBS News]
