Tropical Storm Hilary has made landfall over northeastern Mexico on its way north.
Although Hilary only reached mild storm-force winds on Sunday night, the US Hurricane Center NHC is warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding on Monday.
Tijuana, just south of the U.S. border, has already seen flooding and it’s the water rather than the wind that will cause problems, warns NHC Director Michael Brennan.
– Flooding after heavy rainfall is the leading cause of death after hurricanes in the United States and no one wants to be a number in the statistics, he tells AP and urges everyone who can to get to safety.
Hilary is the first tropical storm to reach Southern California in 84 years and states of emergency have been declared in several locations. Parts of the southeastern United States are believed to receive a year’s worth of rain during the day, and Hilary’s effects are believed to reach as far as Idaho.