Tropical Storm Hilary
Source: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the Department of Commerce of the United States.
Brian Cohen·
Weather
··7 min read

Tropical Storm Hilary Impacts Southern California: August 2023 Travel Alert

Even more airline waivers have been announced. Earthquakes, too.

Tropical Storm Hilary impacts Southern California August 2023 as the first tropical weather system to significantly affect this region of the southwestern United States since Monday, September 25, 1939, when landfall occurred near San Pedro. If this region is in your travel plans over the next few days,  you may want to consider delaying your travel — or, at least, keep yourself updated as to the latest information pertaining to the weather.

Tropical Storm Hilary Impacts Southern California: August 2023 Travel Alert

Maximum sustained winds of Tropical Storm Hilary — which is currently approximately 25 miles south southwest of Palm Springs in California and moving north at a speed of 23 miles per hour — are at 50 miles per hour.

Tropical Storm Hilary
Source: National Hurricane Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States.

Landfall of what became Tropical Storm Hilary — which was once a Category 4 hurricane — occurred earlier today, Sunday, August 20, 2023 prior to 2:00 in the afternoon Pacific Daylight Time near Punta Baja along the northern Baja California Peninsula. Isla de Cedros just missed being the spot for the first landfall of what was Hurricane Hilary, which at that time was a Category 1 hurricane as its eye passed just west of the island.

Tropical weather systems are typically unlikely in the southwestern United States for many reasons — two of which are:

  • Colder waters in the Pacific Ocean, which are not conducive to the development or maintenance of tropical weather systems
  • The tracking of tropical weather systems typically moving from west to east or from south to north in the northern hemisphere

The forward speed of the storm combined with its history of being a Category 4 hurricane are two reasons why Tropical Storm Hilary is in Southern California at the time this article was written.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

  • Baja California peninsula west coast from Punta Eugenia northward
  • Baja California peninsula east coast from Bahia San Juan Bautista northward
  • Mainland Mexico north of Guaymas
  • The border which California shares with Mexico to Point Mugu
  • Catalina Island

This is the same year that Southern California was under blizzard warnings back in February, which is just as unusual as tropical storm warnings. What a strange and unusual year 2023 has been for Southern California in terms of weather.

To add to that — even as people from Southern California prepare for a weather event to which they are not familiar — they have been dealing with several earthquakes of up to a magnitude of 5.1 earlier today. Some people have coined the term Hurriquake.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for some areas of Southern California; and a state of emergency is in effect for Clark County in Nevada. Meanwhile, many fruit and vegetable crops could be adversely affected by the excessive moisture from the tropical storm.

Things could have been a lot worse: the good news is that the lingering effects of Tropical Storm Hilary will be somewhat minimized due to the fast forward speed of the weather system — but despite it not stalling over one particular area, dangerous rough surf with large and destructive waves, localized catastrophic flash flooding, strong rip currents, windy conditions with gusts as high as 80 miles per hour, rock slides, and rainfall of up to ten inches are all possible in some areas of the Baja California peninsula and portions of California, Nevada, Arizona, and extreme southwestern Utah. Electrical power outages, mudslides, and even tornados are also likely to occur.

The rains and outer bands from Tropical Storm Hilary extend all the way to southwestern Canada. Receiving significant precipitation of up to five inches are Nevada, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, western Arizona, western Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, southeastern British Columbia, southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba. Expect possible disruptions in travel in these areas.

Unfortunately, the moisture from Tropical Storm Hilary will not do much to help control the wildfires in the state of Washington and in western Canada.

Social media tends to cover the effects of Tropical Storm Hilary from a personal point of view.

Flight Waivers, Delays, and Cancellations

If you are traveling to Southern California over the next few days, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to this tropical weather system which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.

If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions and traffic problems.

Here are twelve airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of this tropical weather system:

  • American Airlines has issued travel alerts for:
    • Yuma and nine airports in California for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Friday, August 25, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Los Cabos / San Jose del Cabo for Saturday, August 19, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Tuesday, August 22, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Delta Air Lines has issued travel alerts for:
    • Las Vegas and seven airports in California for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Thursday, August 24, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Cabo San Lucas for Saturday, August 19, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Wednesday, August 23, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • United Airlines has issued travel alerts for:
    • Nine airports in California for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Monday, August 28, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Cabo San Lucas for Saturday, August 19, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Wednesday, August 23, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Alaska Airlines has issued travel alerts for:
    • Eight airports in California for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Friday, August 25, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Los Cabos and Loreto for Friday, August 18, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Friday, August 25, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Southwest Airlines has issued travel alerts for:
    • Las Vegas and eight airports in California for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Monday, September 4, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Los Cabos for Friday, August 18, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Sunday, September 3, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • JetBlue Airways has issued travel alerts for:
    • Las Vegas, Burbank, Los Angeles, Ontario, and San Diego for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Friday, August 25, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
    • Los Cabos for Friday, August 18, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023; and Tuesday, August 22, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Frontier Airlines has issued travel alerts for San Diego, Santa Ana, and Ontario for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023.
  • Spirit Airlines has issued travel alerts for five airports in California for Monday, August 21, 2023 through Tuesday, August 22, 2023; and Friday, August 25, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Allegiant Air has issued travel alerts for Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023.
  • Sun Country Airlines has issued travel alerts for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego for Sunday, August 20, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023; and Monday, August 28, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
  • Air Canada has issued travel alerts for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana for Friday, August 18, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023.
  • WestJet Airways has issued travel alerts for Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana for Friday, August 18, 2023 through Monday, August 21, 2023.

Final Boarding Call

I never thought I would see the day where I would be reporting on tropical storm advisories for Southern California and Las Vegas — but here we are. If you reside in these areas and have never been through a tropical system, consider evacuating now, as desert areas can flood quickly.

Be sure to contact your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels — if they are adversely affected — and please: travel safely.

Source: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the Department of Commerce of the United States.

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