Hilarys Development and Predicted Path
Since 9 a.m. Mountain Time (15:00 Universal Time) on August 18, Hilary had optimal sustained winds of almost 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center, making it a category 4 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. Hilary formed as a hurricane off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico, on August 16. Between August 17 and August 18, Hilary magnified quickly from a tropical storm to a forceful category 4 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center expects Hilary to continue moving north-northwest and compromise before reaching the center of the peninsula by the night of August 19. Then, by the night of August 20, the storm is anticipated to move inland over Southern California and soak cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles with heavy rain. Researchers at NASAs Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) anticipated that the heavy rain might saturate soils in the region for several days after the storm.
Warnings and Precautions
The Government of Mexico provided a typhoon caution for the Baja California peninsula, spanning from Punta Abreojos to Punta Eugenia. The U.S. National Hurricane Center released a hurricane watch for portions of Southern California, including San Diego and north up to Huntington Beach. This is the very first time the center has released an expect that area.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing VIIRS information from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).
Category 4 Hurricane Hilary is nearing the Baja California peninsula and is predicted to bring heavy rain to Southern California. As of 9 a.m. Mountain Time (15:00 Universal Time) on August 18, Hilary had maximum continual winds of almost 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center, making it a classification 4 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. Between August 17 and August 18, Hilary magnified quickly from a tropical storm to a forceful classification 4 hurricane.
Satellite image of Hurricane Hilary on August 18, 2023, caught by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on NOAA-20. Category 4 Hurricane Hilary is nearing the Baja California peninsula and is predicted to bring heavy rain to Southern California.
Typhoon Hilary, a classification 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean, approached the Baja California peninsula on August 18, 2023.
This picture of Hilary was acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite in the predawn hours of August 18 (09:25 Universal Time), when the eye of the storm had to do with 400 miles (640 kilometers) off the coast of the peninsula. The image shows infrared brightness temperature level information, which works for identifying cooler cloud structures (white and blue) from warmer surface areas below (yellow). Generally, the coolest temperature levels are associated with the tallest clouds.