Much of Southern California is under a tropical storm watch, as category 4 Hurricane Hilary makes it way north, now approaching Baja California.
Hilary is packing sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a major, category 4 storm. It expected to weaken to tropical storm strength when it reaches Southern California sometime late Sunday evening.
With the Alaskan current bringing cold water down the Pacific coast, tropical weather is extremely rare in California, as the ocean water typically is not warm enough to feed those storms. But, hey, it's a different world now. As a result, the west coast theme parks now are having to consider precautions more typically practiced by their Florida siblings.
SeaWorld San Diego is located on Mission Bay on the Pacific coast, putting it right in the middle of the forecast cone. A SeaWorld spokesperson said, "As always, the safety of animals, guests and employees will remain our top priority. Our parks have comprehensive weather and emergency preparedness plans in place. And, we are carefully monitoring this storm and its potential impact here."
A Disneyland spokesperson said that the resort is taking its usual precautions in advance of rain and windy weather, and that guests should expect standard operational impacts for windy and rainy days, including select outdoor attraction closures. Cast members and the Disneyland app will inform guests of any unexpected changes to resort operations.
And here's the comment from Universal: "Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk continue to monitor Hurricane Hilary. The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and while we expect to remain open, we suggest guests visit our website at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com for updates prior to visiting our destination."
A Knott's Berry Farm spokesperson said, "Safety is always our number one priority. Our Maintenance and Operational teams will take proactive steps to secure the park. We advise guests to check weather forecasts and our website for the latest information about any changes in Knott’s Berry Farm or Knott’s Soak City operating hours."
Even at tropical storm strength, Hilary could bring sustained winds of 39 mph or more, as well as heavy rain. That creates danger to overheard power lines that could lead to extended power outages as well as street flooding that could endure after the storm passes through the area on Monday.
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Well said Jeffrey
Man, the last place you'd want to be in a hurricane is on those epic escalators at Universal.
If humanity keeps guzzling fossil fuels and wolfing down factory farmed meats, things are going to get way, way crazier than this.
We’re all prepped and ready at TPI HQ, but few other people in the LA area I’ve encountered have any concept that a tropical storm is anything worse than the rain we had last winter.
I've definitely seen a range of reactions regarding this storm among the locals, spanning everything from "It's probably just going to be windy and rainy for a day" to "We're getting hit by a major hurricane! Be prepared to go a week without electricity, gas, or water." Personally, I'm in camp "don't leave the house Sunday or Monday and expect possible power outages." Tropical storm force is not something we're used to in SoCal and merits more caution than a typical rain shower, but it's also not something worth pressing the panic button over.
The big issue is going to be power, and what the winds do to above-ground power lines (which should no longer be permissible under building codes, but that's a topic for another website). I also expect street flooding that may make some roads impassible for a bit. Yeah, don't plan on going anywhere in Southern California on Monday.
I have no doubt California as a whole and many Californians will be ill prepared for this. Hopefully at least the parks will have been given info from their Florida counterparts on what to do.
Tropical storm remnants
Saturday night update: Disneyland issued the following statement about its Sunday operating hours.
"We are closely monitoring Hurricane Hilary and making adjustments based on the latest information from the National Weather Service. Disneyland Resort theme parks will close early tomorrow, Sunday Aug. 20, with Disney California Adventure Park closing at 9 p.m. and Disneyland Park closing at 10 p.m.
"The Downtown Disney District will close at 11 p.m. Our resort hotels will remain open to serve our guests staying with us on property."
Based on the latest forecast, it seems that the storm will have moved out of the area by the times that Disneyland is planning to close tomorrow, so... yeah.
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That’s wild. It’s a scary thing to go through whether the storms hits. Our thoughts and prayers go out to California from your Florida neighbors. We will be prepared to help. Godspeed.