Fri | Jul 3, 2026

Hilary downgraded to Category 2 hurricane as Mexico and California brace for 'catastrophic' impact

Published:Saturday | August 19, 2023 | 7:32 PM
This Saturday, August 19, 2023 11:38 a.m. EDT satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Hilary, right, off Mexico’s Pacific coast. Hurricane Hilary headed for Mexico's Baja California on Saturday as the US National Hurricane Center predicted “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” for the peninsula and for the southwestern United States, where it was forecast to cross the border as a tropical storm on Sunday. (NOAA via AP)

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Hilary roared toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula late Saturday as a downgraded but still dangerous Category 2 hurricane that's likely to bring "catastrophic" flooding to the region and cross into the southwest US as a tropical storm.

Meteorologists warned that despite the hurricane's weakening, the storm's speed had accelerated Saturday, and urged people to finish their preparations by sundown. By Sunday, one expert said, it would be too late.

Forecasters said the storm is still expected to enter the history books as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, and bring along flash floods, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and widespread power outages.

The hurricane is the latest major climate disaster to wreak havoc across the US, Canada and Mexico. Hawaii's island of Maui is still reeling from last week's blaze that killed over 100 people and scorched the historic town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. In Canada, firefighters on Saturday continued to battle blazes during the nation's worst fire season on record.

Meanwhile, Hilary brought heavy rainfall and flooding to Mexico and the southwestern US on Saturday, ahead of the storm's expected Sunday border crossing. It's expected to dump up to 10 inches (25 centimetres) — a year's worth of rain for some areas — in southern California and southern Nevada.

"This does not lessen the threat, especially the flood threat," said Jamie Rhome, the US National Hurricane Center's deputy director, during a Saturday briefing to announce the storm's downgraded status. "Don't let the weakening trend and the intensity lower your guard."

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.