Staggering before and after pictures show full force of Storm Hilary after it barreled through California bringing floods and mudslides before deluging Nevada desert with half a year’s rain in a day
- Over 40 million people were under tropical storm warnings on Monday
- Storm Hilary caused widespread destruction across California and Nevada
- Highways were flooded, structures submerged and people were left stranded
- The crisis comes as Maui is still reeling from record wildfires, as further shocking before and after images reveal the town of Lahaina razed to the ground
Shocking before and after images have revealed widespread destruction across the West Coast after Tropical Storm Hilary battered through California and Nevada.
Multiple rescue missions were launched across the affected areas as the torrential storms toppled trees, flooded roads and left residents stranded by mudslides and newly formed waterways on Monday.
In Culver City, California, the deluge saw a deep waterway in the Ballona Creek overflow as the metro was battered with over 3.5 inches of rain. As the storms stretched into Nevada, dramatic images showed the normally-burned out desert in Death Valley marked with mudslides and rivers after it was hit with a year’s rainfall in under 24 hours.
Satellite images captured a ruined street in Cathedral City, California, where a huge mudslide had almost reached rows of homes. For a time the metro was in the epicenter of the storm, and officials say cleanup efforts could take days.
CULVER CITY, CA: The deluge was marked by near-unprecedented rainfall, flooding the Ballona Creek (pictured) and causing widespread travel chaos
DEATH VALLEY, VEVADA: A year’s worth of rain fell in a 24-hour period in Death Valley, as rivers were seen flooding through the normally-burned out desert
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA: A state of emergency has been declared in California after the West Coast was battered by Storm Hilary, causing severe destruction
As it moved towards Death Valley, the sparse roads and highways were seen dramatically altered by the storms. In a section of Indian Canyon Road near California’s Desert Hot Springs, the storm left the road completely impassible.
Thunderstorms and further torrential downpours are expected further inland on Tuesday, while much of California’s southwest coast has been left devastated and officials are scrambling to provide help to stranded residents.
In Los Angeles, the MLB matchup between the LA Dodgers and the Miami Marlins was forced to reschedule due to the storms. The move was ominously captured in an image showing dark clouds rolling in towards Dodger Stadium, and in another where the facility was surrounded by a moat.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA: A section of Indian Canyon Road lies destroyed by a flash flood in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary
LOS ANGELES, CA: The LA Dodgers were forced to reschedule their game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday as a moat formed around the team’s stadium
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA: Cars were left stranded on flooded roads and residents were told to avoid traveling as the storm brought havoc across southwest California
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA: The deluge resulted in huge mudslides, flash flooding and travel chaos, leaving over 40 million people across the West Coast under flood warnings on Monday
Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, initially slammed into Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula as a hurricane, causing at least one death and widespread flooding before becoming a tropical storm.
When Hilary made landfall late Sunday night, it was one of several crises hitting California as the tropical storm, which also produced tornado warnings, was joined by wildfires and a moderate earthquake in Los Angeles.
The National Hurricane Center said while the storm lost momentum as it moved inland toward the Rocky Mountains on Monday, it warned that ‘continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding’ was expected over portions of the Southwest.
Forecasters said the threat of flooding will stretch to north and reach parts of Oregon and Idaho.
Roughly 40 million people were under various flood warnings as California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Monday, and crews across the affected states were deployed to clear mudslides over highways, downed trees, and help stranded people.
By Tuesday, the number of people under severe weather warnings stood at around a million, while Texas residents were warned to brace for the separate Storm Harold as it could make landfall by Tuesday evening.
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA: Torrential rainfall swept through a homeless encampment in Cathedral City, California (pictured), leaving vehicles, trash and scattered possessions partially submerged
A large eucalyptus tree branch rests on cars after falling overnight as tropical storm Hilary moved through the area on August 21, 2023 in Sun Valley, California
LA QUINTA, CA: New high current waterways have been formed by the deluge, with the Whitewater River flowing over a highway near La Quinta High School (pictured)
Palm Springs Mayor Grace Elena Garner warned residents on Monday that they were left with ‘no way in or out’ of the flooded metro, as some stranded locals reported that telephone lines were also down.
In the San Bernardino Mountains, officials said rescue teams worked to clear a huge mudslide after it blocked the homes of about 800 residents. A boil-water order was also issued for about 400 households in Mount Charleston, Nevada, where the only road in and out was washed out.
Hilary shattered daily rain records in San Diego and likely dumped the equivalent of a full year’s worth on Death Valley National Park, forcing the region to be closed indefinitely.
The deluge also left around 400 people sheltering at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs until roads could be made passable, park officials said.
A tropical storm last roared into California in September 1939, ripping apart train tracks, tearing houses from their foundations and capsizing many boats. Nearly 100 people were killed on land and at sea.
THOUSAND PALMS, CA: Thousands of West Coast residents found themselves stranded after streets and highways were washed out by the storms
CARTHEDRAL CITY, CA: Rescue teams have been deployed across the affected areas, as a maintenance vehicle is pictured clearing a path across a flooded street on August 21, 2023
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA: An aerial view of stranded vehicles along a flooded street on August 21, 2023
Cars are entirely submerged beside palm trees blowing in the wind i Southern California as Hilary took its toll over the weekend
SAN DIEGO, CA: A television reporter stands in a flooded road after the passing of Tropical Storm Hilary on Monday
INDIO, CA: In an aerial view, a Jeep remains stuck in mud off a road that was hit by a flash flood in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary on Monday
When the storm struck Cathedral City, California overnight on Sunday, some residents woke up to find themselves trapped as the storm left huge mudslides across the area.
Residents of the city immediately south of Palm Springs, experienced a ‘debris flow’ that included significant amounts of mud and sand landing in front of some of their homes.
The torrential rainfall caused fast-flowing rivers to flow over highways and down streets, knocking out construction work on a bridge outside La Quinta High School in California.
Over five hours away in Nevada, the National Guard began evacuations at the Lee Canyon Ski resort as roads surrounding the mountain were washed out.
Hilary became the first ever tropical storm to hit Nevada, crossing over the state lines at around 5am ET on Monday. By the end of Tuesday, it is forecast to hit Idaho and Oregon and could reach Montana.
Travel chaos struck the West Coast as well Monday, with flights cancelled at San Diego International Airport, Nevada’s Harry Reid and Phoenix’s Sky Harbor.
Hilary is expected to clear through Tuesday, though moisture from the storm in some parts is expected to linger into Wednesday and Thursday.
Many airlines waived change fees for flights scheduled through Monday to or from Los Cabos and a handful of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona airports.
The storm has, at this point, been downgraded to a post-tropical storm, though experts continue to warn that Hilary is carrying heavy rains and high winds through the week.
Source: Read Full Article