Hurricane Spins Closest To SoCal In 25 Years; Flooding, Winds Expected

CALIFORNIA — A hurricane spinning in the Pacific Ocean may come 250 miles from San Diego, the closest pass to Southern California made since 1997, weather officials said this week.

After more than a week of withering record temperatures, Southern Californians will brace for Hurricane Kay, which is forecast to bring rain and gusty conditions to the region Friday through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Kay, which is not expected to directly hit the mainland U.S., will break the heat wave that has sweltered the region. It may also help to douse ongoing wildfires, but the storm is predicted to bring wind and flooding to much of the region.

The storm system will bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to Southern California, according to the NWS.

AccuWeather meteorologists said thunderstorms related to Kay will likely hit "as far inland as central Arizona and southern Nevada" but will be the heaviest in Southern California.

"Despite the loss of wind intensity as Kay moves northward, the impacts to California will be notable," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.

The hurricane is expected to move parallel to Baja California's peninsula though Friday, which could bring a record-breaking amount of rain to the Southland. Kay will make its closest pass to Southern California since Hurricane Nora in 1997.

Hurricane Kay may not be an extremely strong storm system but it doesn't need to be to be a "major concern for Southern California," Brandt Maxwell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego, told CNN.

By Thursday morning, isolated showers and thunderstorms were already popping up from Chino Hills to Santa Monica. Showers were moving swiftly to the west and were expected to reach Ventura County by late morning. On Friday, the heat wave was expected to intensify with temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees in coastal parts of San Diego and Orange counties.

"The weather will become very interesting across the region on Friday, and the temperature forecast will be extremely difficult since we will be dealing with something that happens extremely rarely in southern California — an approaching Tropical Storm," weather service officials wrote in a forecast discussion.

The excessive rainfall potential is shown here, highest threat of too much rain at once is the purple shaded area, mountains and desert slopes #CAWX #socal #TCKay pic.twitter.com/4wGVq9vflp
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) September 8, 2022

Hot temperatures are expected to last through Friday night and into Saturday despite a significant increase in clouds and a high chance of showers, the NWS said. The tropical cyclone will also bring high surf and possibly coastal flooding to most of the region.

"The seemingly endless heatwave that has been plaguing California will finally be coming to an end across at least southern California, but not before two more very hot days and very warm nights," weather service officials wrote.

The weather will also bring warm and dry winds that will drive up fire risk in the area. On Thursday evening and into Friday, lows could remain in the 80s.

The unrelenting heat wave is expected to finally end late Friday, but Kay could replace the heat with dangerous flooding that could bring a year's worth of rain to parts of the Southland.

Kay may end the ongoing heat wave and work to mitigate the state's extreme drought conditions that have plagued the region, but too much precipitation could spell trouble, forecasters said.

"Despite those positives, it's never a good thing to get too much rain all at once, a trait all too common among slow-moving tropical storms, hence the enhanced flash flood potential," forecasters from the Weather Prediction Center said.

The heat wave has dried out soils in the past week, making the areas a perfect spillway for runoff and flooding. The most susceptible areas for flash flooding will be in slot canyons, burn scars and urbanized areas.

"Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible," according to the NWS's weekend forecast for Riverside County. "Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."

Meanwhile, most of Southern California was still under an extreme heat watch and another flex alert was issued for the ninth consecutive day.

Officials on Thursday asked all residents to conserve electricity during the hours of 3 to 10 p.m., extending the previous Flex Alerts by two hours.

Residents are urged to take the following power-saving steps:

• setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher
• avoiding use of major appliances
• turning off unnecessary lights
• avoid charging electric vehicles

READ MORE: Rolling Blackouts In SoCal: See Whether Your Home Is Impacted