Kay is weakened, but the storm is not expected to move away from the coast until Saturday night.
By then, flash flooding is expected in parts of southern California and southwestern Arizona, according to the National Hurricane Center. Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Southern California and Arizona on Thursday night, affecting eight million people.
Watch out for floods and strong winds from severe drought
The Imperial Valley region, one of the country’s most productive agricultural regions, is bracing for serious damage. According to the US Drought Monitor, all of Imperial County has been hit by a severe drought that has been going on since early spring.
“Imperial Valley farmers are in the process of preparing their land for the rice-planting season, so a half-inch to an inch of rain can cause damage and delay schedules,” he said. said Robert Shettler, spokesman for the Imperial Irrigation District.
Imperial County Airport receives an average of 2.38 inches of rain each year. The National Weather Service predicts he’ll be two to four inches between 36 hours Friday and Saturday.
With more than 3 inches of rain in Imperial, this month will be the wettest September on record. His last wettest September was in 1976.
Palm Springs, which typically sees 4.61 inches of precipitation per year, expects 2 to 4 inches of precipitation. 3 inches in Palm Springs places it in the top 3 wettest Septembers in Palm Springs this month with an average of 0.24 inches of precipitation in September.
Yuma, Arizona could also receive 1.5 inches of rain, making 2022 the wettest September since 2009. The average rainfall for September is 0.68 inches.
But water isn’t the only concern officials have.
Utilities Pacific Power and Portland General Electric said they may aggressively shut down power in high-risk areas to reduce the risk of fires.
Power outages will be implemented “in limited, high-risk areas to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect people, property and the environment,” Portland General Electric said in a release. The move could affect about 30,000 customer meters in the Portland and Salem areas of Oregon, according to the company.
Governor declares state of emergency over fire
New all-time records are expected to be broken as triple-digit temperatures are likely to persist across much of California on Friday.
Dangerously high heat and high winds are of no help to firefighters battling blazes that have already scorched thousands of acres.
CNN’s Stephanie Elam, Taylor Ward, Ella Nilsen, and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com