Climate: How the media reported on tropical storm Hilary in California
Main Themes
#1 : The Speculation Phase – “deadly, life threatening, catastrophic”
- Hurricane Hilary threatens ‘ life-threatening’ flooding in Mexico, California | AP News
- Tropical Storm Hilary swirls northward packing deadly rainfall along Mexico’s Baja coast (foxcarolina.com)
- Hurricane Hilary: Historic flood could hit Southern California – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
- Category 4 Hurricane Hilary may cause “catastrophic flooding” in California (axios.com)
- CSUF Marine Geologist: Tropical Storms Like Hurricane Hilary Could Significantly Change Southern California’s Coast (newswise.com)
What actually happened: One person died in Mexico. Typical large storm level flooding and mud slides occurred in selected areas of California and Nevada. While there were substantial rains in some areas (such as 10+ inches in the higher mountains), the low lands generally received 2-3 inches.
Update: An elderly woman in San Bernadino may have died when her mobile home was swept away by flood waters. This death is not yet confirmed as of Aug 24.
#2 : It wasn’t that bad
- Post-Tropical Cyclone Hilary Drenches Nevada After Causing Less Damage in California Than Feared – WSJ
- Lake Mead’s Water Level Rises as Hilary Brings Heavy Rainfall (newsweek.com)
- California is Free of Drought Conditions for the First Time in Three Years – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- And then the contradictory report: Why even Hurricane Hilary couldn’t solve California’s long-term drought crisis – Vox (The article is good)
- Lake Mead water levels here. Lake Powell water levels here.
- Why California is having its best wildfire season in 25 years (mercurynews.com)
- Earlier: California’s Snowpack is Now One of the Largest Ever, Bringing Drought Relief, Flooding Concerns
- But it still could be that bad! We can hope! Please be bad!
#3 : The Storm Was Caused by Climate Change
This was the predominant spin – this tropical storm was absolutely caused by climate change, there is no other possible explanation – and it will only get worse from here “say experts”:
- Unusual Pacific Storms Like Hurricane Hilary Could be a Warning for the Future – Inside Climate News
- Worse than a ‘new normal’: Bill Nye on tropical storm Hilary, climate change (msnbc.com)
- Hurricane Hilary, sweltering heat waves a dour preview of things to come (axios.com)
- What role did the climate crisis play in Storm Hilary – and could there be more like it? | Tropical Storm Hilary | The Guardian
- How climate change shaped California’s first tropical storm in decades – E&E News by POLITICO (eenews.net)
- How climate change shaped California’s first tropical storm in decades – E&E News by POLITICO (eenews.net)
- Maui wildfires and Tropical Storm Hilary are climate change omens (msnbc.com)
- CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Here’s what you need to see and know today – The San Diego Union-Tribune (sandiegouniontribune.com)
- Related: A ‘perfect storm’ set Hawaii ablaze. Experts say it could happen almost anywhere (yahoo.com)
#4 : Reality Phase – Tropical Storms have hit California Before
Spinning that may be it wasn’t climate change after all but a normal but rare tropical storm of the type that has hit California in the past:
- Weather tracker: tropical storm makes landfall in California for first time in 84 years | Extreme weather | The Guardian
- California’s Last Tropical Storm In 1939 Killed Almost 100 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Hurricane Hilary: Here’s what Southern California news looked like last time a tropical storm made landfall in 1939 – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
- What happened in San Bernardino County when a hurricane arrived in 1939? (vvdailypress.com)
- California’s last tropical storm hit in 1939. Here’s what happened. (sfgate.com)
The 1939 storm was the first since 1858, when a hurricane passed off shore San Diego – about 81 years between 1858 and 1939, and 84 years between 1939 and 2023 – hmmmmmm.
#5 : How Fast we Forget
Context matters.
- California faces blizzard, Plains face hurricane-force winds from severe storm (axios.com) (February 2023)
- Why California lakes, reservoirs are nearly full after years of drought – The Washington Post
- Feds roll back Colorado River water cuts after wet winter as states negotiate long-term drought rules | Colorado Public Radio (cpr.org)
- Top 10 deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history – CBS News
#6 : Let’s Speculate About Next Scary Headlines
And on to the next scary speculation!