More than 10,000 people experiencing power outages in Los Angeles County More than 10,000 people are still experiencing power outages in Los Angeles county, according to data from poweroutage.us, which tracks US outages. The county was severely impacted by Storm Hilary, as flooding and rain damaged roads and power lines. Other counties within southern California have restored power. In San Diego, only 487 customers are without power. San Bernardino county has similarly lower rates of power outages, with only 645 customers without power. Daniel Swain, the UCLA climate scientist who has made a name for himself breaking down the complexities of extreme weather and the climate crisis on social media and on his personal blog, said it has been harder lately to take in and transmit disaster updates via X, formerly known as Twitter. Since Elon Musk took over the social media company, its platform has been glitchier. Teams responsible for moderating and curtailing misinformation on the app have been made redundant, and conspiracy theories have flourished. A January report found that Tweets containing “climate scam” or other terms linked to climate change denial increased 300% in 2022. “Twitter was, by the way for the first time that I can remember since I started using it in 2011, almost completely useless yesterday,” said Swain, during a live-streamed update on the impact and path of the tropical storm. “A lot of the information that was there about California weather and Hillary was either conspiracy theories, fabricated.” US senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was among those who were mislead by misinformation about the storm, sharing a hoax picture of a shark on a flooded highway in Los Angeles with the remark: “Holy crap.” “I’m still on Twitter, because even in it’s vastly degraded and still declining form it is still better than the alternatives,” Swain said. “But there will come a point I think where that’s no longer true, right?” Will all this rain cut down the California’s wildfire risks in the coming dry months? Not really, said UCLA climate scientists Daniel Swain. The storm hasn’t brought much precipitation to northern California, and the fire season there won’t be affected at all. Patchy rainfall in central California and the Bay area could stave off fires for a few more weeks. But even in southern California, which saw record rainfall, all this moisture doesn’t mean the region won’t experience destructive wildfires later this year. “I don’t think we’re gonna have to worry about fires for at least a few weeks,” he said. But by the autumn, as the landscape dries again, “you can still have a very active fire season”. Another sign of how unusual the current weather is in California: There’s a tornado warning over the busy I-5 highway in southern California. Here’s a visual breakdown of Hilary’s extraordinary path – compared with all tropical cyclones on record in region. Hilary’s effects are being felt as far north as Boise, Idaho, setting a seven-decade record for the highest atmospheric moisture observed there. Storm Hilary brought 350% more rainfall than normal for this time of month in parts of California and Nevada, the National Weather Service (NWS) announced. The historic storm brought between one to eight inches of rain above the average amount in areas of southern California, southern Nevada, and the southern Sierra region, announced the weather service on Twitter, now known as X. Summary It is 11.45 am pst (6.45 pm gmt) in California. Here’s what has happened so far concerning Storm Hilary: Over 10,000 customers are still without power in Los Angels county, according to data from poweroutage.us. Other southern California counties have mostly restored power. Palm Spring officials have declared a state of emergency in the southern California city amid intense flooding cause by Storm Hilary, the Palm Springs Fire Department posted to Facebook. A tropical storm is headed for Texas, forecasters warn. The storm is expected to hit the southern part of Texas’ coast tomorrow and will be called Harold if it is named. Experts warn that Storm Hilary could create “life-threatening” conditions, despite its downgrade Monday morning. Forecasters said that the historic storm could bring flooding and mudslides to southern parts of California. 25 million people from southern California to northern Idaho were under flood warnings as of Monday morning after heavy rain fall from Hilary. Stay turned for further updates. Hurricane Hilary is a highly unusual occurrence – so rare, that there’s not much research on tropical cyclones in California, and whether such storms might increase due to global heating. It is clear that the climate crisis is fueling extreme weather, and supercharging hurricanes. “Warmer oceans are hurricane fuel,” said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain – and studies show that global heating can cause more frequent, wetter hurricanes. The rapid intensification of storms has also become more common in a warming world. But California has several natural defenses against hurricanes. Cold ocean temperatures along the state’s coast tend to deflate tropical storms, and its strong east-west winds tend to blow hurricanes away. The downward flow of air across the state also tends to squash down storms. “To my knowledge, no one has ever done a formal study on tropical cyclone hazard in a warming climate in California.” Swain said. And because California’s geography is so different than other parts of the world where hurricanes are common, studies from elsewhere don’t provide reliable insight into what is happening now. Unusual weather patterns in the Pacific this year, including record high Pacific Ocean temperatures and the combination of a low pressure area along the west coast and a high pressure ridge in the central US created the perfect conditions for a powerful storm to build off Baja California, Mexico that was pulled north through the US. While it is plausible that much warmer temperatures in the eastern Pacific could fuel more such storms, the unique topography and wind conditions in California could still impede sequel’s to this week’s tropical storm, Swain said. Such storms “will remain a rare event in any foreseeable future,” he said. Until Hilary, no tropical storm had made landfall in Southern California since 1939, according to the National Weather Service. And meteorologists believe the only tropical cyclone churning at hurricane-force was in 1858. There is a consensus among researchers that the state is likely to see more wet, intense winter storms – as it did this past winter – as well as more frequent heat waves and more destructive wildfire. More than 10,000 people experiencing power outages in Los Angeles County More than 10,000 people are still experiencing power outages in Los Angeles county, according to data from poweroutage.us, which tracks US outages. The county was severely impacted by Storm Hilary, as flooding and rain damaged roads and power lines. Other counties within southern California have restored power. In San Diego, only 487 customers are without power. San Bernardino county has similarly lower rates of power outages, with only 645 customers without power. Palm Springs declares local state of emergency Palm Springs officials have declared a local state of emergency amid ongoing flooding from Storm Hilary. The Palm Springs City manager gave the declaration as flooding continues in the southern California city. “Due to unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways and at least one swift water rescue, Palm Springs city manager Scott C Stiles has declared a local emergency due to the critically dangerous impacts of Hurricane Hilary,” the Palm Springs Fire Department posted in a message on Facebook. “Palm Springs police and fire continue to urge residents to stay home and avoid driving during these dangerous conditions,” fire officials added. Here’s more on major flooding caused by Storm Hilary that could impact California, by the Guardian’s Oliver Milman. Tropical Storm Hilary has weakened after slamming into California but is still set to cause “catastrophic” flooding, forecasters have warned, with the rare storm unleashing historic levels of rainfall to the US south-west. The National Hurricane Center by Monday morning had downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical cyclone but added that the storm would still bring a “historic amount of rainfall” that is expected to cause “life-threatening to locally catastrophic flash, urban and arroyo flooding”. The storm would also pack strong winds – of about 30mph – and potential landslides and mudslides. Hilary, the first tropical storm to make landfall in southern California in 84 years, has caused roads to flood and trees to be uprooted, and prompted the shuttering of schools and cancellation of flights as more than 25 million people face flood warnings from the event. Residents of Los Angeles and San Bernardino county were urged to stay at home. Evacuations have also taken place in many areas. The National Weather Service tweeted on Monday that “virtually all rainfall daily records have been broken thus far” in the Los Angeles area. Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show the progression of other ongoing tropical storms like Franklin and Gert, as well post-tropical cyclone Emily. The National Hurricane Center said Franklin is slowing down over the Caribbean Sea. “Heavy rainfall is expected for Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.” Gert is “still there but could dissipate any time.” Emily, which formed over the weekend, has been downgraded from a tropical storm to a “remnant low,” a post-tropical cyclone. Texas is experiencing a summer of severe drought, so the rainfall is much needed for the southern region of the state and some parts of Louisiana. However, the rest of the state has yet to see any relief. Over the summer, Governor Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations in over 100 counties experiencing the dangerously dry conditions. The record-breaking heat has increased the risk of wildfires in the state and threatened vegetation.