Hurricane Hilary expected to hit US West Coast today, California bracing for 'catastrophic floods' | 10 points
Reuters. 1. Hurricane Hilary had shifted its direction towards the west-northwest, maintaining a speed of almost 12 miles per hour (19 kph).
It had intensified during the night to reach Category 4 status, bringing with it maximum sustained winds of nearly 130 mph (215 kph). 2. "Life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding is likely over much of Baja California and Southern California this weekend and early next week," the latest advisory from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
3. NHC said a powerful storm at Mexico's popular Cabo San Lucas resort city by late on Friday should turn relatively weak before it hits US West Coast but is likely to bring dangerous rains. 4.
"If you've got weekend plans, it's probably time to start altering those plans," NHC Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said while warning about flood risks from San Diego to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. 5. The administration in both of regions of Mexico's Baja California peninsula has taken preventive measures against the hurricane.
6. The northern region of the peninsula canceled non-essential public activities on Friday while the southern one postponed a local baseball match and closed all the ports on Friday. 7.
"Without being alarmist, we must all take precautions and stock up on water and basic necessities at home, without resorting to panic buying," the state's governor said. 8. The cold water along the coastline of California is known to weaken the incoming storms, but as per Jamie Rhome "this system is expected to hold onto to its strength because it will be moving fast." 9.
Read more on livemint.com
