About our Tropical Storm Hilary News
Latest news on Tropical Storm Hilary, a powerful weather system that affected parts of Mexico and the United States in August 2023. It caused heavy rainfall, flooding, landslides, and strong winds in several areas.
Hilary formed from a tropical wave south of Mexico on August 16 and quickly strengthened into a hurricane the next day. It reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) and a pressure of 939 mbar (27.7 inHg) on August 18, while paralleling the western coast of Mexico.
Hilary weakened rapidly as it moved over cooler waters and encountered drier air and wind shear. It made landfall as a tropical storm in San Quintín, Baja California, on August 20, and then moved northward into California, becoming the first tropical storm to enter the state since Nora in 1997.
Hilary brought record-breaking rainfall to many areas in California and Nevada, as well as flash flooding and mudslides. Downtown Los Angeles reported 2.48 inches (6.29 cm) of rain on August 21, making it the wettest August day in the area on record. Palm Springs recorded the heaviest hour of rain ever, with 3.25 inches (8.26 cm) falling between 9:00 and 10:00 am local time. All roads out of the city were cut off by floodwaters.
Hilary continued to move northward into Nevada, where it caused more flooding and road closures. A boil water notice was issued for some residents of Kyle Canyon, where a concrete road collapsed due to the water pressure. Hilary then became a post-tropical cyclone over the southern San Joaquin Valley on August 21, and dissipated over Idaho on August 22.
Hilary was responsible for two indirect fatalities in Mexico, one due to a car accident and another due to electrocution. The total damage from the storm was estimated at $14.7 million (2023 USD).