Flooding and strong winds are expected across parts of Southern California on Friday as Tropical Storm Kay passes offshore.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm’s center was about 140 miles south of San Diego as of 11 a.m. PT, and still primarily affecting Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Kay made landfall in Mexico on Thursday afternoon, coming ashore near the center of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, as well as heavy rain and a powerful storm surge.
Kay’s maximum sustained winds now hover around 45 mph, and it’s traveling northwest at 13 mph. A westward turn is expected on Saturday, taking it farther from land.
Winds and moisture from the storm are moving into parts of Southern California and southwestern Arizona. The heaviest rain is forecast to fall east of San Diego, in desert areas. Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is likely Friday night through Saturday morning, though some isolated areas could get up to 8 inches.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warnings for parts of Imperial County, California, until 3:30 p.m. PT. The New River, which flows through the county and across the U.S.-Mexico border, is expected to overflow its banks. Flood watches continue through tomorrow for 8 million people across southern California, western Arizona and southern Nevada.
A high wind warning is in effect until midnight in San Diego County and parts of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Parts of those regions could see gusts up to 65 mph.
Tropical cyclones that impact Southern California are very rare. The most recent was Hurricane Nora in 1997, which caused power outages in L.A. and flooding in San Diego after moving over southeastern California as a tropical storm.
In Mexico, meanwhile, continued coastal flooding, flash floods and landslides are possible across Baja California and in portions of mainland northwestern Mexico through Saturday morning. In total, the peninsula could see up to 10 inches of rain by the time the storm is over, with isolated areas getting up to 15.
Tropical storm warnings are still in effect along the both coasts of the Baja peninsula. On the west side, the warning area extends from Punta Eugenia north to the U.S.-Mexico border. In the Gulf of California, the warning affects the coast between Bahia de Los Angeles on the peninsula and Puerto Libertad in mainland Mexico.
Liza Torres, Marlene Lenthang, Kathryn Prociv and Steve Strouss contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
