PALM SPRINGS, Calif. − The remnants of Hurricane Hilary lashed a swath of the West from the mountains and deserts to the Pacific Ocean beaches Monday after triggering mudslides, flooding and water rescues across Southern California.
Rain and debris washed out roadways and left vehicles stranded in standing water. Parts of Los Angeles County had almost 7 inches of rain; Beverly Hills had almost 5 inches by early Monday. Downtown Los Angeles saw its wettest August day ever on Sunday when 2.48 inches fell.
More than 100 miles to the east in Riverside County, a foot of rain fell on Mount San Jacinto. The nearby Coachella Valley was hit hard, and Palm Springs police at one point Sunday said 911 lines were down so residents had to text 911 or reach out to the nearest police or fire station. Crews in Rancho Mirage pumped floodwaters out of the Eisenhower Medical Center. Officials in Palm Desert urged residents to stay home or proceed with caution while workers cleaned up downed trees and mitigated flooding.
“This storm has been unlike anything our community has faced before,” authorities said in a Facebook post. “Not everything is a quick fix, but our team is doing our best to have Palm Desert up and running.”
Schools, businesses and offices closed across the region as the storm remained capable of “life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” for parts of the Southwest, the National Weather Service warned.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm but warned the system could produce another 2 to 4 inches of rain in many areas. Isolated communities across portions of Southern California and southern Nevada could see up to 12 inches through Monday, forecasters said.
As the storm rolled north, parts of Oregon and Idaho were already experiencing heavy rain Monday. Some areas could get hit with up to 5 inches through Tuesday morning, resulting in some “significant” flash flooding, the weather service said. But Southern California was not free of Hilary.
“Across interior Southern California, road and rail line closures due to major flooding, washouts and mudslides are likely, putting a significant strain on infrastructure,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather director of forecasting operations.
Tropical Storm Hilary updates:Storm drenches Southern California, prompting floods, rescues
Developments:
∎ In San Diego, rescue teams pulled 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Mayor Todd Gloria declared a state of emergency ahead of the 1.82 inches of rain the city received Sunday − the most of any August day on record.
∎ Images of a flooded Dodger Stadium parking lot became a trending topic on social media Sunday, but by the next morning the area had dried out, according to a Dodgers tweet.
∎ Preliminary 36-hour rainfall from southern Nevada shows that Bristlecone, west of Las Vegas, was inundated with 6 inches, breaking the rainfall record for a tropical cyclone or remnant for the state.
∎ South-central Arizona could see strong, severe thunderstorms Monday, the weather service said.
Hilary tracker:Hilary tracker: Follow storm’s path as post-tropical cyclone moves into Nevada
Hilary leaves behind thick layers of mud
Abundant amounts of mud where it doesn’t belong were one of the most noteworthy effects of Hilary’s journey through Southern California, causing traffic backups from layers of sludge thick enough to get SUVs stuck.
In the San Bernardino Mountains, crews were working Monday to clear mud that has been blocking the homes of about 800 residents, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Alison Hesterly said. Among them was a couple in the town of Oak Glen whose house was surrounded by about 4 feet of muck.
In Cathedral City, a desert community of about 50,000 just east of Palm Springs, Kimberly Garnica woke up to find her car was stuck in mud outside her home.
“The yard is just filled with a lot of mud,” said Garnica, 20. “You can just tell the streets aren’t really built for this.”
Emergency incidents doubled in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Monday her department had dealt with more than 1,800 emergency incidents over a 24-hour period, more than double the average number. Rescuers remained vigilant for mudslides that could be triggered on sodden mountainsides, she said.
Mayor Karen Bass said there were no reports of deaths or injuries and that damage appeared to be relatively minor. Crews were out cleaning up debris and returning power in areas that went dark. Most city workers were working remotely Monday but were expected to return to offices Tuesday, she said.
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain noted this was a “historic event” in the region given how many rainfall records were broken.
“I’m glad it wasn’t more widespread,” Swain said, “but I don think it was quite severe in some isolated areas.”
New system could become a tropical storm and threaten Texas
While the remnants of Hilary continue to soak the western U.S., several tropical systems were bubbling up in the Atlantic. The one system that will threaten the mainland U.S. has yet to become a tropical depression or storm. What’s called “Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine,” now spinning in the Gulf of Mexico, is forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm before slamming by midday Tuesday into south Texas, where a tropical storm warning was in effect.
The system, which will be dubbed Harold if it reaches tropical storm strength as expected, will bring heavy rainfall and possibly flooding across south Texas on Tuesday and into Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. When the center released its latest update at 4 p.m. Central Time on Monday, the system was about 375 miles southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, and carried sustained winds of up to 35 mph. The update included flood watches or warnings for parts of seven western states.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin, Tropical Storm Franklin was forecast to hit the island of Hispaniola − shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti − later Tuesday and into Wednesday.
“Across Hispaniola, significant and potentially life-threatening flash flooding is possible Tuesday into Wednesday,” the hurricane center said.
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico was also forecast to feel the effects of Franklin, mainly in the form of heavy rain and flash flooding. Franklin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of up to 6 inches across Puerto Rico through the middle of the week.
Meanwhile, far out in the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Emily dissipated into a remnant low Monday morning, while Tropical Storm Gert was likely to dissipate “at any time,” the hurricane center predicted.
− Doyle Rice
Palm Springs could get a year’s worth of rain in 2 days
Palm Springs had been deluged by more than 3 inches of rain by Monday morning. Almost an inch fell in one hour Sunday afternoon in a city that typically picks up less than half an inch all summer, AccuWeather said. Palm Springs averages less than 6 inches of rain a year and could get that in 48 hours, AccuWeather said.
The city declared an emergency “due to unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways and at least one swift water rescue.” A 20-mile section of I-10 was closed in both directions because of storm damage.
Some residents dealt with earthquake during storm
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 jolted parts of Southern California on Sunday in the midst of the storm, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake, which struck at 2:40 p.m. local time, was centered about 4 miles southeast of Ojai. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said no significant injuries or damage were immediately reported.
There is no apparent cause and effect between storms and earthquakes, the U.S. Geological Survey says on its website.
Lake Mead closed since Friday
The Lake Meade National Recreation Area remained closed Monday “for the purposes of maintaining public health and safety” after being damaged by Hilary. The lake, the nation’s largest artificial reservoir, is on the Colorado River in Nevada and Arizona, about 25 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.
The Park Service said the recreation area had experienced multiple power and utility outages and dock damage that makes access difficult for emergency response boats. Multiple park areas rely on one-road access with low water crossings that probably will be be washed out, disconnecting entire communities from service and rescue, the Park Service said.
Saddled by years of drought, increasing demands for water and climate change, the lake level reached historic lows last year, and the remains of several bodies were found. Last week, however, the Bureau of Reclamation said investments in system conservation and improved hydrology have led to “significant improvements.”
Hilary in photos:Hilary in photos: See flooding, damage in Southern California after storm moves through
Contributing: Eve Chen, Ken Tran, Claire Thornton, Jordan Mendoza, Josh Peter and Dinah Pulver, USA TODAY; Kate Franco, Palm Springs Desert Sun; The Associated Press
