Torrential rains have been hitting California since yesterday Sunday, where Tropical Storm Hillary arrived.

After passing through Mexico where it killed one person, Hurricane Hillary, although downgraded to a tropical storm, threatens the southwestern US with potentially deadly flash flooding,

The very rare southern California storm – the first in 84 years – is moving at a speed of 37 kilometers per hour, the same source said.

Last night the NHC warned of the possibility of “historic rainfall” that could “cause locally catastrophic flash flooding capable of threatening life” in some parts of the state by this morning.

A local television network broadcast video of heavy flooding in parts of Palm Springs, outside Los Angeles, while the National Park Service announced that Death Valley National Park remains closed due to “hazardous conditions.”

For its part, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has deployed teams in the areas through which Hillary is expected to pass.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake also struck near the southern California city of Ojai, but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

“Unprecedented phenomenon” – In a state of emergency in many areas

According to the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, “this is an unprecedented meteorological phenomenon”.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for much of southern California.

Authorities have set up five reception centers and mobilized 7,500 workers, including rescue teams and several hundred soldiers, according to Newsom’s office.

San Diego is preparing for potentially dangerous flooding. Residents of the city put sandbags to close the doors and windows of their homes, while local authorities have asked citizens to stay away from coastal areas.

Some areas in Oregon and Idaho are also expected to be hit by heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding, the NHC said.

Parallel tornadoes are likely to form in southeastern California, western Arizona, southern Nevada and the southwestern tip of Utah, the same source noted.

According to Nancy Ward, California’s director of emergency management, Hillary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in a decade. “This is a very dangerous and serious storm,” he underlined.