Hurricane Hilary heads towards Mexico after strengthening from tropical storm
A storm located about 300 miles off the coast of Mexico was upgraded to a hurricane overnight as it heads toward Baja California, potentially bringing heavy rain and winds to the region and the south-western United States this weekend.
Hurricane Hilary formed as a tropical storm about 470 miles off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico. It is currently about 320 miles (515km) south-west of Manzanillo and is moving about 13mph west-north-west. It is expected to turn north-west on Friday morning.
“Rapid strengthening is forecast, and Hilary could become a major hurricane by tonight or early Friday,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its most recent forecast, issued around 5am PT. Storms that are category 3 or higher are considered major hurricanes, meaning it has winds of at least 111mph (179km/h).
Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward of up to 70 miles from the center of the storm, while tropicalstorm-force winds extend outward by 275 miles.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for Baja California from Cabo San Lázaro southward and San Evaristo southward. NHC said that additional watches or warnings will probably be issued for more of Baja California and north-western Mexico later on Thursday.
The storm could bring high winds, surf and rain to southern California. Parts of Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico could also be affected, though the trajectory of the storm remains unclear. The effects of the storm may start to be seen as early as Friday through the start of next week. The heaviest rainfall from Hilary within the United States is expected to peak on Sunday and Monday, according to NHC.
Landfall from a hurricane is rare for southern California as hurricanes generally move from east to west, and the region is surrounded by cool ocean waters and other conditions that break up big storms.