Hurricane to hit San Diego this weekend: worse impacts in inland mountains and deserts
Source: East County Magazine
Hurricane Hilary is barreling toward San Diego County, slated to hit this weekend.
“The storm is going inland, so the strongest winds will be in the mountains,” meteorologist Miguel Miller with the National Weather Service in San Diego told East County Magazine. “The rainfall, flood potential and winds are actually going to be stronger the more east you go. This will be a really wet and windy storm.”
Currently a category 2 hurricane, Hilary could be upgraded to a category 4 by the time it hits Baja, Mexico, though it will likely be downgraded to a tropical storm once it reaches San Diego County. However, the impacts will still pack a wallop, with thunderstorms, very heavy rains and flooding likely --with the worst in inland areas.
Desert areas are forecast to be soaked with 5-7 inches of rain, with 5-7 inches in the mountains, 2.5 inches in Alpine, and 1.75 inches in El Cajon from Saturday through Monday. The worst of the storm is expected to peak on Sunday. Wind gusts of 40 to 60 miles per hour are expected in the mountains, with 30 to 50 mph winds on the desert floor. West of the mountains, 30 to 40 mph winds are forecast. High surf will occur along the coast.
Read more: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/hurricane-hit-san-diego-weekend-worse-impacts-inland-mountains-and-deserts
This is following a similar trajectory to Hurricane Kathleen in 1976, which destroyed a large section of Interstate 8 in San Diego's East County near Jacumba, washed out 3 bridges, killed 13 people and sent a 10-foot-tall high wall of water across Ocotillo in nearby Imperial County.
If you know anyone who lives in this area, especially San Diego's deserts, mountains and rural low-lying communities, please check to be sure they know about this.
The other local news outlets are mostly just talking about the coast, not realizing that the worst damage is slated for the inland areas. I personally spoke with an NWS forecaster to verify this stuff.
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and I know the past couple seasons, the PAC has been more active than I've seen and having a tropical cyclone do a direct hit at hurricane strength - in a place that has cliffs... that makes me 
CA seems to be "landslideville". 
I can see storm surge as it pushes north and that would put SD in the right front quadrant with the strongest push of surge although regarding the prevailing winds, the counter-clockwise flow would be blowing "off shore".
Hopefully it will get shredded by the Baja peninsula and will ingest hot dry air from the desert to drop it down to TS or TD strength.
reporter, combat medic etc, etc, etc? That nadin?? 
