'Hilary' threatens California: meteorologists raise hurricane category to 4

California is preparing for the arrival of storm Hilary. The tropical storm, reports the National Weather Service of San Diego (NWS), became a category 4 hurricane during the early hours of this Friday although it is expected to weaken as it makes landfall:

Hilary will remain in the country until early next week and will primarily affect Southern California and the southwest region of the state starting Friday night. Strong winds will be one of the dangers that Californians will face during the next few hours. Around midday on Thursday, reports the Los Angeles Times, Hilary recorded maximum winds of 105 miles per hour (mph) and was located 500 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California. Winds are expected to continue to increase and potential speeds of up to 125 mph are anticipated.

However, the NWS warns, the most dangerous thing will not be the strong winds, but the rains. The worst part is expected between this Sunday and Monday with the arrival of heavy rains that could cause flooding in the region. Meteorologists and NBC are forecasting between two and four inches of rain. In addition, at specific times up to eight inches could accumulate from Southern California to Southern Nevada. This means that more rain could fall in just one day than has been recorded in months in the state.

Given this, the Climate Prediction Center (NOAA) has already issued an alert in these areas where, it warns, there is a slight risk of flooding from Saturday to Sunday and a moderate risk of heavy rainfall during the following 24 hours.