Hurricane Hilary heads for US bringing a year’s worth of rain and 145mph winds, forecasters say
More than a year’s worth of rain, bringing with it “rare and dangerous flooding”, could fall on parts of parched Southern California and the southwest US this weekend, as Hurricane Hilary makes landfall.
Up to six inches (15 cm) of rain is expected in parts of the region, as the category four hurricane arrives, driven by winds of up to 145mph (230 kph).
Hilary was heading towards Baja California in Mexico, on Friday, threatening to cause “significant flooding” to parts, along with the southwestern United States, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Mexico’s Pacific coast, where heavy rains and high winds could lead to storm surges
Southern California and neighbouring Nevada and Arizona are expected to bear the brunt of the rainfall, with “rare and dangerous flooding possible”, the agency warned on Friday.
Parts of Southern California have been placed under level four, the highest level for excessive rain for the first time since the alert system was created.
More than an average year’s-worth could fall over the weekend, NBC said, quoting the NHC.
The hurricane, which was upgraded to a category four overnight into Friday, was heading west and north-westwards at around 10mph (17kph) in the afternoon, local time, but contained maximum sustained winds of nearly 145mph, the centre said.
It will still be a hurricane when it approaches Baja over the weekend, but is likely to weaken to a tropical storm before reaching Southern California on Sunday afternoon, the agency said.
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If so, it will be California’s first such storm since 1939.
The US National Weather Service warned people in the southwest of the country, particularly parts of Southern California and southern Nevada, to expect “significant and rare impacts” this weekend and into early next week.
The NHC issued a tropical storm watch for parts of Southern California, a first for that part of the United States.
The centre warned of large waves and coastal flooding from a storm surge along the western Baja California peninsula of Mexico.
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Earlier this month: Possible tornadoes seen over New York state
Rainfall of three to six inches (7.6cm to 15cm) is expected across areas of Southern California and southern Nevada.
The heavy rains make a stark contrast to the scorching temperatures seen across the region recently.
Hurricane Hilary, off Mexico and the US South Pacific coast. Pic: NOAA via AP
Phoenix saw a record heat wave last month, caused by a “heat dome” of stagnant air that parked over the western United States for weeks, the National Weather Service reported.
Tens of millions of Americans were under heat watches and warnings.
California’s Death Valley desert saw 53C (128F) in mid-July, among the highest temperatures recorded on Earth in the past 90 years.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been linked to a second group chat about sensitive military operations, which he reportedly shared with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
The messages sent via the Signal messaging app are again understood to have contained details of an attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in March.
The second chat group, initially reported by The New York Times, included about a dozen people. It revealed details of the schedule of the airstrikes, according to the Reuters news agency.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News there were 13 people in the second chat group, and Mr Hegseth divulged the information despite an aide warning him about using an unsecure communications system.
Mr Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military counterparts, while his brother was hired at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser.
Military details from the first chat group were revealed by a journalist from The Atlantic magazine who was accidentally added to the Signal app by national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Mr Hegseth then shared sensitive information with cabinet officials about last month’s airstrike on targets in Yemen, which was later leaked.
Read more from Sky News:
What is Signal?
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Mike Waltz (left) and Pete Hegseth (right) have used Signal to discuss sensitive government matters. Pic: AP
‘A non-story,’ says White House
But the White House has consistently defended Mr Hegseth.
Donald Trump dismissed the original leak as “something that can happen”.
Responding to the latest chat group, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared.
“Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
The “leakers” referred to in the White House statement are four senior officials who were ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation.
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Leaked war plans: ‘Fairly serious’
‘Hegseth put lives at risk’
The New York Times reported that the second chat – named “Defence | Team Huddle” – was created on Mr Hegseth’s private phone.
It detailed the same warplane launch times as the first chat.
Several former and current officials have said sharing those operational details before a strike would have certainly been classified, and their release could have put pilots in danger.
Democratic politicians have repeatedly called for Mr Hegseth to step down.
“We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk,” Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a post on X.
“But [Donald] Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”
The latest claims about Mr Hegseth emerged as Yemen’s Houthi rebels reported another wave of US airstrikes on Sunday, including on the capital Sanaa.
The Houthis said at least 12 people had been killed, with 30 more injured.
The US says its bombing campaign is in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
DHL Express is suspending some shipments to the US as Donald Trump’s new tariff regime takes effect.
From 21 April, shipments worth more than $800 (£603) to US consumers from “any origin” will be temporarily suspended.
New rules that came into effect at the start of April made such shipments subject to increased customs checks.
“This change has caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock,” said the parcel delivery service.
Shipments going from business to business worth more than $800 aren’t affected by the suspension, but DHL warned they may also face delays.
Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers are not impacted, but one British cycle manufacturer suggested its US customers may need to split orders over $800 into “smaller shipments” to avoid the red tape.
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From May, shipments from China and Hong Kong that are worth less than $800 “will be subject to all applicable duties”, according to the White House.
“President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages,” it said in a statement.
Until now, deliveries worth less than $800 didn’t incur any duties, which allowed low-cost companies Chinese like Shein and Temu to make inroads in the US.
Both have warned their prices will now rise because of the rule changes, starting on 25 April.
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