Hurricane Hilary strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm overnight as it threatens Baja California and the southwestern United States. Image courtesy NOAA
(UPI) — Hurricane Hilary grew into a “large and powerful” Category 4 storm overnight as it threatens Baja California and the southwestern United States but is expected to significantly weaken over the weekend, the National Hurricane Center said on Friday.
According to the NHC’s 3 a.m. MDT update, maximum sustained winds from the storm increased to 145 mph Friday morning after just growing into a hurricane the day before with winds of 75 mph. The rapidly growing storm was about 110 miles south of Socorro Island and 400 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, moving west-northwest at 13 mph.
“Hilary is a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane,” the center said Friday morning. “Significant flooding impacts possible across portions of the Baja California Peninsula and the southwestern United States early next week.”
While forecasters predict that Hilary will start to weaken starting Saturday, it will still be a hurricane with plenty of punch when it approaches the west coast of the Baja California peninsula Saturday night and Sunday.
Hilary is expected to dial back down to a tropical storm by Sunday afternoon before it reaches southern California.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 290 miles,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Currently, the center said the officials in Mexico have extended a tropical storm warning on the west side of the Baja Californiapeninsula to Punta Abreojos and on the east side of the Baja Californiapeninsula to Loreto.
“The hurricane watch on the west side of the Baja California peninsula has been extended northward to San Jose de Las Palmas,” the center said. “The tropical storm watch on the east side of the BajaCalifornia peninsula has been extended northward to Bahia de Los Angeles.”
Forecasters say Hilary will drop up to 10 inches of rain in some areas as the storm approaches the Baja California peninsula over the weekend with tropical-storm-force winds.
Hilary was expected to produce 3-6 inches of rain throughout portions of the Baja California peninsula through Sunday night, with isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches and locally significant flash flooding possible.
Heavy rainfall of 2-4 inches is also expected to impact the southwestern United States from Friday through early next week. In isolated cases, it could be in excess of 8 inches across southern California and southern Nevada.
Large wave swells generated by Hilary are expected off the southwestern Mexican coast and Baja California over the next few days.
In May, the NHC said it expected a “near-normal” hurricane season,” and in June, the Climate Prediction Center said an El Nino weather phenomenon had developed.