"After Hilary, A Big Clean-Up And Lots Of Water But Lives Spared"

"Many cities in the American Southwest saw record summer rainfall totals that could also help dampen some wildfires"

"SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Tropical Storm Hilary drenched the American Southwest before fading Monday to a mere rainstorm, leaving communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Nevada with a substantial cleanup effort but no reported deaths in the United States.

The first tropical storm to hit the nation’s west coast since 1997 had the largest impact in California’s desert region, where national parks in the Mojave, in Death Valley and other nearby areas flooded. Some areas east of Los Angeles received as much as six inches of rain in a day, a summer record in several cases, and tens of thousands of people lost power for much of Sunday and into Monday.

Although millions of people in the United States were covered by the initial hurricane warnings, Hilary caused more inconvenience than actual damage. Many flights at airports were canceled, schools across Southern California closed, and some major highways were severed by rushing waters. But as of Monday afternoon, no deaths had been reported in the United States."

Scott Wilson and Amudalat Ajasa report for the Washington Post August 21, 2023.

Source: Washington Post, 08/22/2023