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Hurricane Hilary to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to California and Nevada

Hurricane Hilary to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to California and Nevada

Hurricane Hilary, a Category 2 storm in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to hit the Baja California Peninsula on Sunday and bring heavy rain and flash flooding to parts of California and Nevada by the weekend, forecasters said.

The hurricane, which has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, is moving west-northwest at 14 mph and could become a major hurricane by Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is not expected to be a hurricane when it reaches the southwestern U.S., but it could still cause significant impacts, including rainfall of up to 10 inches, especially on the east-facing slopes of the mountains, and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy rainfall could lead to widespread and potentially severe flash flooding across interior portions of southern California and Nevada on Sunday and Monday, as well as mudslides and debris flows in burn scar areas, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The storm could also produce large swells along the coast that could cause dangerous surf conditions and rip currents, according to Greg Postel, a hurricane and storm specialist at the Weather Channel.

It is rare for a tropical system like Hilary to move through southern California, Postel said. The last time a tropical storm made landfall in California was in 1939, according to federal weather officials.

Tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect for parts of western Mexico, where Hilary could bring damaging wind gusts, especially at higher elevations, and 3 to 6 inches of rainfall, with maximum amounts of 10 inches, through Sunday night.

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