00:00 As the powerful Hurricane Hillary heads north, Southern California and Mexico are bracing
00:12 for a rare and powerful storm that could produce dangerous flash flooding and sustained winds
00:18 that have not been seen for decades.
00:21 Residents are racing to fill sandbags and fuel up generators before extreme weather
00:25 arrives and emergency officials are warning that roads may be inundated and setting up
00:30 evacuation centers.
00:32 This Category 4 hurricane is so unusual that it has prompted the National Hurricane Center
00:37 to issue a tropical storm watch for California for the first time in its history.
00:42 Hillary is currently projected to make landfall in Baja California on Sunday and move northward
00:48 as a tropical storm near San Diego and across the deserts and mountains east of Los Angeles
00:53 though its path could still veer elsewhere.
00:56 The hurricane is due to hit Mexico over the weekend before weakening and moving to Southern
01:01 California where it would be the region's first tropical storm in 84 years.
01:06 Hillary will dump up to 10 inches of rain on the state of Baja California from Saturday
01:11 to Monday, an extremely unusual amount given that the state, known for its dry weather,
01:16 typically receives around 8 inches throughout the entire year, authorities said.
01:21 Hillary had reached a maximum speed of 215 km/h yesterday.
01:27 The Mexican state of Baja California cancelled all non-essential public activities yesterday,
01:33 including school classes, through Monday.
01:36 Authorities in Tijuana began setting up temporary shelters and clearing storm water drains as
01:41 the hurricane approached.
01:42 The hilly city is particularly prone to landslides.
01:46 In the south of the US state of California, some national parks were closed and Major
01:51 League Baseball games were relocated in anticipation of extreme weather, the likes of which has
01:56 not been seen in decades.
01:58 Heavy rains are also expected to batter the neighboring states of Arizona and Nevada.
02:03 The tropical storm could force numerous evacuations and rescues, as well as deadly runoff that
02:08 may rage down valleys while increasing susceptibility to rockslides and mudslides.
02:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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