Tropical Storm Hilary recently reached California after hitting Mexico. It’s causing very heavy rain, turning roads into rivers and making officials worried about dangerous floods.
The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency for a big part of Southern California. They’ve also said floods might happen until Monday morning. The National Weather Service warned about really strong rainfall that could be dangerous.
By Sunday evening, Los Angeles had already broken a few records for how much rain fell in a single day.
This much rain in the middle of summer is not normal. The Mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria, said he’s worried about the wind causing power problems and flooding. He said they aren’t ready for this much rain.
Officials are asking people not to drive because the roads could break, and there could be mudslides, debris in the water, and flooding.
Some places are even saying there’s an emergency because of the storm. One person in Mexico died when their car was swept away by water. The storm started as a very strong hurricane, but it became a weaker tropical storm before reaching California.
It’s the first time a tropical storm hit Southern California since 1939. The center of the storm passed over San Diego County on Sunday evening.
It was the first tropical storm to hit this area in 84 years. Before that, it made landfall on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Trees and branches fell because of strong winds in places like La Jolla, Mission Hills, and Allied Gardens.
While the storm was happening in Southern California, there was also a surprise earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1.
This earthquake was near Ojai, about 80 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. But luckily, there was no serious damage or anyone getting hurt from it.
