Hurricane Hilary was formed on August 16 and dissipated on August 22,
During this time, around $100 million worth of property was damaged, mostly consisting of roads and bridges.
While the hurricane was nearing the U.S., for the first time since 1939 a hurricane warning was instated. It would bring 40 mph winds and up to 4.65 inches of rain, compared to last year’s 0 inches.
When asked about the rain, Chris Arceniega stated, “ [It was] kinda calming. I like the rain”
During the hurricane, a power outage occurred leaving thousands without power. Some students prepared by making sure fridges were organized and had plenty of water.
El Nino Winter
El Nino is a weather event that changes normal weather patterns to be either colder or warmer. This is caused when trade winds weaken and warm water builds up at the equator in the eastern Pacific. The ocean then lets moisture rise into the clouds causing rainstorms.
Past and Upcoming Winter
This upcoming winter might include a very wet and cold experience. Based on current weather predictions this winter will be an El Nino phase meaning wetter and colder conditions in the southwest, including California, Arizona, and parts of Nevada.
Last winter, California was drenched with a lot of rain and record-breaking levels of snow in the mountains. Based on this information and a hurricane happening not too long ago, this might mean that we could get even more rain than last year.
What is causing this?
Climate change has been the main reason for all these weather changes. The reason climate change is doing this is because of all the fossil fuel that is burned to heat all the fires that the big factories are using. All the smoke and oil are affecting the climate and causing all the weather changes we see. This means that climate change is collecting and trapping the sun’s heat which creates heat waves, dryer droughts, and hotter water in the oceans.
Since the oceans are warmer, moisture goes up into the atmosphere and forms storms. This also means that already existing storms, like hurricanes, get stronger and last longer covering more land.