Hurricane Rosa sets its aim toward the Pacific Southwest, heavy rainfall expected locally
Hurricane Rosa tied the 2015 record as the seventh Category 4 or stronger hurricane to occur during the 2018 eastern Pacific Hurricane Season. Weakening has now begun to occur as the storm moves over cooler ocean waters. Rosa is now a Category 2 hurricane with 105 MPH maximum sustained winds.
Today Rosa veers northward and is currently set to make a potential landfall as a tropical storm in northern Baja California on Monday.
A Flash Flood Watch has been issued, for areas highlighted in green, for Monday and Tuesday. While most of the rain will soak areas farther east in Riverside County and in Arizona, there is concern for potential localized flooding and possible flash flooding. This is a primary concern in areas where there are burn scars, like in our local mountains where the Cranston Fire recently burned.
Isolated thunderstorms may develop over areas over higher elevation as soon as Sunday evening. Monday afternoon appears to be when light showers will begin. The heaviest rainfall is currently expected on Tuesday. At this point, model predictions estimate a total of 0.5-3″ for rainfall totals locally. Because of another low pressure system farther north, we may continue to see lingering precipitation through Wednesday. Drier conditions are expected after that.
Winds will also strengthen locally, especially in the east valley and for the high desert. Gusts upward of 40 mph are expected during the peak of the storm.
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