Tropical Storm Hilary live updates: California braces for flooding

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. − Historic Hurricane Hilary eased slightly to tropical storm status Sunday as it churned toward the Pacific Coast while Southern California braced for up to a foot of rain and “dangerous to catastrophic” flooding, the National Weather Service warned.

Hilary could make history as the first tropical storm to slam Southern California in 84 years. The storm was centered 220 south-southeast of San Diego at 8 a.m. local time, packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Hilary threatened to devastate a swath of the U.S. Southwest with heavy rainfall through Monday morning, forecasters said.

Jake Sojda, senior meteorlogist at Accuweather, said the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego likely would be doused by multiple inches of rain. The worst of the storm was targeting the mountains and desert east of the cities, he said.

“We are talking about bonafide tropical storm conditions,” Jake Sojda, senior meteorlogist at Accuweather, told USA TODAY. “We’re expecting 4 to 8 inches of rain as a general range across the eastern mountain slopes, and 10 to 12 inches certainly is not out of the question.”

There is an end in sight, however: Sojda said showers and clouds will linger Monday and then Tuesday “the nice weather finally returns in force.”

Tropical Storm Hilary tracker:Follow the storm’s path as it heads toward Southern California

Forecast developments:

∎ California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency, and authorities issued an evacuation advisory for Santa Catalina Island, 23 miles off the coast.

∎ As the storm rolls north, portions of Oregon and Idaho could see as much as 3 to 5 inches of rain, producing some “significant” flash flooding, the weather service said.

Hilary potentially an ‘extraordinary event’

AccuWeather meteorologists warned that Hilary could slam some of the desert areas and mountains in Southern California to southern Nevada with a life-threatening flooding disaster. In San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, the sheriff’s office issued evacuation orders for several towns.

Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s director of forecasting operations, said some areas could see more than a year’s worth of rain within a day or two.

“The impact from Hilary has the potential to be an extraordinary event, one that is rare and unprecedented,” he said.

Sandbags are hard to find

In Diamond Bar, a city of 55,000 residents 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, locals raced to the city’s three fire departments Saturday in an ill-fated effort to score sandbags desperately needed to protect their home from the storm. But people had begun filling up bags of sand on Friday, and officials said one station ran out within an hour.

On Saturday, one station in the west side of the city got two shipments of sand, but it went out as fast as it came in, according to Los Angeles County Fire captain Jesse Vasquez. Vasquez said many people who picked up sandbags from the stations were panicking, taking more than they could possibly need.

“We can’t go out there and argue with them,” he said. “We can educate and ask and plead with them. But at that point, they’re going to do whatever they want to do.”

All fire stations – operated by Los Angeles County – will be fully staffed with more equipment than normal in the city Sunday, Vasquez said, but they know depending on the intensity of the weather, it might be a difficult task to come to the aid of residents as they try to evacuate anyone severely impacted. In a city with so many hills, mudslides will also be something firefighters have to consider possibly occurring.

“The department is prepared,” he said. “We do our best to protect life and property. That’s our main objective.”

In Chino Hills, a Costco run and evacuation prep

In Chino Hills, 35 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County, resident Veronica Kemble beat the rush. she shopped early Saturday for food and other essentials for herself, her husband and cats, as well as items she might need if they are forced to evacuate her home. She said she tried to avoid major stores such as Costco but found items she needed at discount store locations. She expressed concern for people doubting the severity of the storm, saying their was no need to panic, but that people should be “prepared just in case” the worst happens.

“I figured if it rains really hard and the stores are closed, or if they start to lose power, you’re not going to be able to buy this stuff,” Kemble told USA TODAY.

Homeless vulnerable as Hilary advances

Volunteers have been driving the streets of Los Angeles passing out tarps and plastic bags to people without homes so they can try and keep themselves and their belongings dry. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department warned those without a place to stay to move away from riverbeds and other likely flooding locations. In Venice Beach, west of downtown Los Angeles, Bobby Geivet arrived at about 6:30 a.m. with a cooler, weathered guitar, a tarp and a plan. Geivet, 45, said he’s homeless but not defenseless against the storm. He tied his tarp between two palm trees and anchored it by using a stone to pound makeshift stakes into the ground. He said he planned to set up a hammock underneath the tarp.

“I like to be high and dry,’’ he told USA TODAY. “It’s going to be wet, but I want to be as dry as I can.’’

Joshua Tree National Park closed due to flooding concerns

Coachella Valley could see year’s worth of rain over a few days

Palm Springs braces for flooding

Farther inland in Riverside California, weather service meteorologist Elizabeth Adams said rain could fall up to 3 inches an hour Sunday near Palm Springs across the desert and mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley. The intense rainfall during those hours could cause widespread and life-threatening flash floods, Adams said.