Tropical Storm Hilary: Preparation pays off for California

A rare tropical storm moved through California over the weekend, bringing record rainfall, high winds, and mudslides. Despite extreme precipitation and winds of up to 80 mph, catastrophic damage was avoided – in part due to successful preparation efforts honed from years of extreme weather events in the state. 

At least 20 million people – more than half of California’s population – were affected by Tropical Storm Hilary, which dropped a year’s worth of rainfall in one day, and in some areas two years’ worth. Hilary made landfall in Mexico on Aug. 20, swept north through