1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
German election 2025Middle East crisisRussia's war in Ukraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
CatastropheMexico

Hurricane Hilary downgraded amid 'catastrophic' flood alert

Published August 20, 2023last updated August 20, 2023

The storm has already claimed one life in Mexico, where authorities are evacuating people in anticipation of wild weather. Authorities in California are also encouraging people to prepare for the rare storm.

https://p.dw.com/p/4VMUo
A crowd of California residents filling up sandbags
Residents in southern California and northwestern Mexico have been urged to prepare for the intense stormImage: DAVID SWANSON/AFP/Getty Images

Hurricane Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm before making landfall along Mexico's Baja coast on Sunday, amid warnings it could bring deadly flash floods.

The US National Weather Service warned it was still likely to bring "catastrophic and life-threatening" flooding to  northwestern Mexico as well as southern California, where it will be the first such tropical storm in 84 years

As of 1500 UTC, the storm still sustained wind speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour).

"Heavy rains" were also affecting portions of Baja California and the southwestern United States.

California continues to mobilize ahead of Hurricane Hilary's projected landfall in Southern California

Wild weather begins in Mexico

As Hilary pummeled Mexico's Baja California peninsula with rain, one person drowned in the town of Santa Rosalia when their vehicle was swept away by an overflowing stream.

Rescue workers managed to save four other people around the nearby township of Mulege.

Authorities in Mexico's second largest city, Tijuana, have moved some residents to temporary shelters as the threat of landslides looms.

"If you hear noises, or the ground cracking, it is important for you to check it and get out as fast as possible, because the ground can weaken and your home could collapse," said Rafael Carrillo, head of the Tijuana fire department.

Meanwhile, Mexico's navy evacuated 850 people from islands off the Baja coast and deployed 3,000 troops around the region.

A man carrying a sandbag in Indio, California
California residents filled sandbags as Hurricane Hilary approached MexicoImage: DAVID SWANSON/AFP/Getty Images

Preparations underway in the US

In the US, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday and officials urged people to finish final preparations for the storm, saying that leaving it until Sunday would be too late.

Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in more than a decade.

"Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm," she said.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it deployed teams to areas in Hilary's path and is providing President Joe Biden with regular updates.

"He has encouraged everyone to make sure that they are aware of what this dangerous storm is potentially going to bring and to listen to their local officials on the steps they can take to make sure that they are keeping safe," FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said.

Almost 200 flights on Sunday and another 184 on Monday were canceled at the San Diego International Airport, per FlightAware website.

kb,zc/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)