Hurricane Hilary weakens, is now a tropical storm

Hurricane Hilary on Sunday (August 20) weakened to a tropical storm as passed up Mexico's Pacific coast. However, it is still expected to bring life-threatening flooding to the southwestern United States, a region which is typically arid.

There has been at least one death in northwestern Mexico. Hilary lashed the Baja California Peninsula with heavy rains and strong winds.

When it was at its peak, Hilary reached Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it madeits way towards southern California.

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Watch | Hurricane Hilary reduced from category 4 to category 2 storm

Hilary was packing maximum sustained winds of around 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour as it moved north just off the west coast of Baja California, the NHC said.

"Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding likely over Baja California and portions of the southwestern US through Monday," the US government agency warned in its latest bulletin Sunday.

Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urged people to take the danger seriously.

"Hurricane Hilary is going to be a serious impact and threat to southern California," she said on CNN.

One person died in Mexico after a vehicle was swept away by a rising stream, Mexico's Civil Protection agency said, while warning of landslides and road closures in Baja California.

NHC said that Hilary was expected to track inland and north and cause up to 10 inches (25 centimetres) of rain in Mexico, California and Nevada.

NHC added that tornadoes were possible in southeast California, southern Nevada, western Arizona, and far southwest Utah.

FEMA deployed teams to areas in Hilary's path, while California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of the state's southern area.

Also Read | California governor declares state of emergency as Hurricane Hilary nears

Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in more than a decade.

"Make no mistake," she told a press conference Saturday. "This is a very, very dangerous and significant storm."

(With inputs from agencies)

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