Hurricane (Hilary) hit Southern California late Sunday and is now headed north to Nevada, National Hurricane Center said Monday> The storm is now a post-tropical cyclone and “ongoing and historic amount of rainfall” could still lead to life-threatening and catastrophic flooding, the center added.
Gusty winds from Hilary will impact parts of Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Montana with sustained winds of 25-35 mph and higher gusts likely. Winds of this magnitude can still cause damage to trees and power lines.
According to the US Geographical Survey (USGS), Southern California residents were also struck by a more familiar phenomenon Sunday; a magnitude 5.1 earthquake.
The earthquake hit just as Hilary approached the area. At least a dozen aftershocks with several above 3.0 magnitude were reported after the initial quake.
Some 12,000-14,000 earthquakes occur annually, USGS noted. Usually, California experiences two or three earthquakes large enough to cause damage to buildings.
Tropical activity exploded to life in the Atlantic over the weekend. Three tropical storms – Emily, Franklin and Gert – are churning in the basin and another may form in the Gulf of Mexico and head for Texas early this week.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration is monitoring carefully the movements of Hurricane Hilary, adding that they are also closely monitoring the earthquake that occurred in Southern California, and any resulting impacts.
Source: Kuwait News Agency