US Markets
Monday, August 21st, 2023 9:24 am EDT
California was bracing for more flash flooding on Monday as the first tropical storm to hit the state since the 1930s dumped record rainfall in the Los Angeles area over the weekend.
Hilary made landfall in Baja California, Mexico, as a tropical storm on Sunday. The storm had broken virtually all rainfall records in Los Angeles by Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Southern California was hit by 3.0-magnitude aftershocks from an earthquake in Ventura County on the same day Hilary lashed the area with record rainfall.
No fatalities have been reported from the storm or the earthquake, according Los Angeles County officials. The quake has not caused any significant damage in Los Angeles, according to officials.
Hilary has since weakened into a post-tropical cyclone with winds up to 35 miles per hour. The storm is expected to bring additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches across portions of Southern California and Southern Nevada through Monday with flash flooding still expected, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
Hilary was heading toward Oregon and Idaho with 1 to 3 inches of total rainfall expected in some portions of the states. Flash flooding is expected in some areas through Tuesday morning.
The storm triggered rock and mudslides that blocked roads in mountain communities in San Bernardino County, according to NBC Los Angeles. The floods left cars stranded on a stretch of freeway in Sun Valley.
Los Angeles Unified, the second largest school district in the U.S., cancelled all classes Monday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared emergencies in their states in response to the storm over the weekend.
President Joe Biden said Sunday that he is closely morning the storm and the earthquake in Southern California. Biden said he was briefed by Newsom on the emergency preparations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed federal personnel and supplies to support impacted communities, according to the president.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden were in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, on Monday. They are scheduled to fly from there to Maui to survey damage from catastrophic wildfires that have left at least 114 people dead and 850 missing, while causing billions of dollars in property damage.
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