Aug. 18, 5 p.m. update: Hurricane Hilary strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, but was expected to weaken as it made landfall.
For the first time ever, California was under a tropical storm watch.
Winds from the storm could get up to 35 miles an hour in eastern Kern County this weekend where rain is forecast to exceed 3 inches.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Hanford have issued a flood watch to take effect late Saturday for much of the south eastern part of the San Joaquin Valley, including Kern and Tulare counties and the Sierra Nevada.
The bulk of the storm is set to hit Sunday into Monday.
Original story below:
FRESNO, Calif. – Hurricane Hilary is gathering strength off the coast of California and is forecast to bring excessive rainfall to Southern and Central California early next week.
Hurricanes originating out of South and Central America are usually drawn westward toward the Hawaiian islands. But steering winds and extreme heat on the West Coast are luring Hurricane Hilary north, to California.
“Right now it is experiencing warm water, so it's gaining that fuel to maintain itself and actually intensify,” said Carlos Molina, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Molina said the most recent tropical storm to make landfall in southern California was in 1978. Getting rain in the San Joaquin Valley this time of year is also very unusual.
Hurricane Hilary started as a tropical storm, but was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane Thursday morning. It’s expected to downgrade to a tropical storm once it makes landfall, but its impact will still be felt.
Southern California is forecast to take the brunt of the storm’s impact, but showers are expected as far north as Madera County. There is a risk of thunderstorms in wildfire-prone areas.
In the San Joaquin Valley, Kern and Tulare counties are forecast to get the most rain — potentially up to four inches over Sunday and Monday — which could bring flash floods and mudslides, Molina says.
After a hot week of triple digits and heat advisories, temperatures in the Valley are forecast to drop nearly 20 degrees by Monday.
