Tropical Storm Rachel to Make Landfall Tonight; San Diego Under Rare Tropical Storm Watch as Flash Flood Threat Rises
Tropical Storm Rachel's impacts on Southern California enter a critical phase Saturday night. Forecasters expect the storm to move onshore in northern Baja California just south of San Diego early Sunday morning. As of Saturday morning, Rachel's maximum sustained winds were around 60 mph with tropical-storm-force winds extending about 150 miles from the center; the National Hurricane Center expects rapid weakening after it moves inland on Sunday, becoming post-tropical by Sunday morning.
San Diego is under a tropical storm watch, only the second time on record such a watch has been issued for the area, the first being Hurricane Hilary in 2023. The National Weather Service has set the flooding-rainfall threat at Level 3 of 4 from Saturday night through Sunday across parts of Southern California to southern Nevada, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona, with numerous flash flood events expected. San Diego and Las Vegas could see more than an inch of rain — about double the entire October average for San Diego and triple for Las Vegas — raising flash-flood risk in desert areas that cannot absorb intense bursts of rainfall.
Winds are expected to gust 39 to 57 mph across Southern California through tonight and Sunday. In and around San Diego, gusts of 25 to 40 mph are expected in lower elevations and 50 to 70 mph in the mountains early Sunday morning; the NWS warns that sheds, carports and unanchored mobile homes could be damaged, with downed tree limbs and debris on roads, and possible power outages. A flood watch is in effect for the Coachella Valley from 11 p.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, with hourly rainfall rates of 0.5 to 0.7 inches possible across deserts and 0.7 to 1 inch per hour across mountains, heaviest late Saturday night through early Sunday afternoon.
Los Angeles and Orange counties face a coastal threat as well. A coastal flood warning for LA and Orange counties runs through 3 p.m. Sunday, followed by a coastal flood advisory for Orange County through 2 p.m. Tuesday. The risk of significant shoreline flooding, beach erosion and damage to vulnerable coastal structures is high during morning high tides. A high surf advisory is in effect for the LA County and Malibu coasts from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, with breaking waves of 4 to 7 feet and sets up to 9 feet in Orange County, creating dangerous rip currents. Total rainfall across Southern California is expected to range from a quarter-inch to an inch, with higher totals possible in mountain corridors like the eastern San Gabriel Mountains.
The weather service urges residents not to drive through flooded roads or around barricades and to stay indoors Saturday night. A second, colder low-pressure system arrives late Sunday into Monday, bringing additional scattered showers and noticeably cooler temperatures. County emergency agencies advise residents to clear yard drains, secure outdoor items, and monitor the latest alerts from the National Weather Service and local authorities.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: GOES-East 卫星云图（2026-10-09），公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
