MEXICO CITY: Hurricane Hilary hurtled towards Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Sunday, blanketing the region with heavy rain amid warnings of catastrophic and life-threatening flooding on the peninsula and in the US Southwest.
One man died in the Baja California Sur state when a family of five was swept away into the sea while crossing a stream, according to a Mexican official, who also shared images of flooding and roads that were swept away in the area.
In the United States, the hurricane disrupted flights and sports games before it arrived.
Early on Sunday, the hurricane was carrying top sustained winds of 140 kph, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Its centre was forecast to move close to the west-central coast of the Baja California peninsula in the next few hours and then across southern California on Sunday afternoon.
Hilary was expected to weaken but would likely remain a hurricane as it passed near Baja California, becoming a tropical storm before reaching southern California, the NHC said.
Storm surges - when the ocean is pushed inland - could produce coastal flooding in parts of Baja California and the hurricane was carrying heavy rain that could cause catastrophic flooding in some areas, the NHC said.
Rainfall of 7.6 to 15 cm was expected across the northern Baja California peninsula as well as portions of southern California and southern Nevada, the Miami-based agency said in its latest advisory.
Hilary was about 625 km south-southeast of San Diego, the NHC said. It was moving north-northwest at 33 kph.
US President Joe Biden received a briefing on Saturday from senior staff on preparations for the hurricane, the White House said.
In the Baja California peninsula, some school and other non-essential activities were cancelled through Monday, and authorities in Mexico's second-largest city, Tijuana, urged people in high-risk zones to move to temporary shelters.
Images showed flash floods in the coastal town of Santa Rosalia, on the eastern side of the Baja California peninsula, with water gushing down what used to be a road, sweeping away a tree.
US authorities in affected areas warned residents and businesses to take precautions.
Nearly 200 flights scheduled for Sunday at the San Diego International Airport have been cancelled and another 184 on Monday, according to the FlightAware website. — Reuters
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