Hurricane Hilary - SoCal

[katsucats]

I see there's a wind advisory for the SGV area for the next 36 hours. Should I bring in all my potted plants, planks of wood (from building a bed) and stuff? Should it be urgent as in do it now, or tomorrow afternoon?

[PuiPuiMolcar]

As someone who grew up in a country with Typhoon above my roof every summer, it feels kinda nostalgic with all the neighbor clamouring about hurricane. The wind itself isn't dangerous but the debris swept up by the wind are. It might be a bad one and it might not, but the silver linings here are that the hurricane is hampered by the cold water, the moutain range, and the trade wind that work against it.
Generally I dont really like the wind of Socal, it's so dry that I've have had trouble breathing because of it. So I welcome more rain and humidity here but minus the hurricane.

Originally Posted by katsucats

I see there's a wind advisory for the SGV area for the next 36 hours. Should I bring in all my potted plants, planks of wood (from building a bed) and stuff? Should it be urgent as in do it now, or tomorrow afternoon?

I think you should, it's better safe than sorry. In fact I'm going to do that right now.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by katsucats

I see there's a wind advisory for the SGV area for the next 36 hours. Should I bring in all my potted plants, planks of wood (from building a bed) and stuff? Should it be urgent as in do it now, or tomorrow afternoon?

The forecast suggests the tricky time will be night from Sunday to Monday. Other than that, if your collection size permits, it might be a good idea to bring in as much as possible not knowing if it'll be a bad one or a nothing burger. For a big collection I would maybe prioritize less heavy stuff or stuff that can easily fly away. Some media might fly away easily like bark and perlite, recently potted plants might hold down much less media than a established plant which is keeping everything together with its roots, even if the media is the same.

[Ray]

Living in hurricane alley, I can assure you that the following is essential:

If it is portable, it may become a flying projectile, so move it indoors; any outdoor furniture included.

If you have tables too large to bring in, turn them over. Legs catch air less air than do table tops.

Take down bird feeders. Make sure all doors are latched and locked.

Be prepared to have outdoor plantings stripped of flowers and some leaves.

[Keysguy]

Another person with hurricane experience here.

They are nothing to scoff at and it's far better to properly prepare for nothing than it is to blow it off as nothing but media hype and then get a big surprise.

My suspicion is that the biggest impact of a storm like this in SOCAL is very localized flash flooding and potential in those areas for mudslides given Californians proclivity to build houses on steep hillsides.

Get anything that could be a flying object down as low as possible or better yet, inside.

As someone else pointed out, given the environmental conditions where you are, it's highly unlikely it can turn itself into a "bomb cyclone" at the last minute like they can in the Gulf, South Atlantic and Caribbean.

Good luck!

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

My suspicion is that the biggest impact of a storm like this in SOCAL is very localized flash flooding and potential in those areas for mudslides given Californians proclivity to build houses on steep hillsides.

I second this, especially for people living inland and in the valleys. The risk of flooding and mudslides is elevated with elevated potential for debris carrying.

[Roberta]

It also helps to know one's neighborhood. Street intersections that tend to flood, are going to flood. (My city already has the "flooded" signs out, not a drop of water in sight yet but saves them going out in the rain on a Sunday, it is going to happen in all the usual spots ) Stuff flows downhill. At least the storm drains are pretty clear, last winter took care of that. (Heavy rain after a long period of none makes a much bigger mess because detritus builds up and clogs them. This year we don't have that problem.)

[Dimples]

Also, for people with limited indoor space or items that won’t fit through the door, if you have any sheltered spots on the north/NE/NW side of a building (overhangs, recesses, etc.) you can tuck bulky items into the corner or along the wall and wedge them in with some heavier items to help keep the lot in place. It’s not the first choice, but it’s better than nothing.

[Jeff214]

I've been moving all my plants indoors and putting shelving units on its side today. It doesn't look too bad, but I agree, better safe than sorry!

[Louis_W]

Thank you for the PSA Mateo. I hadn't heard about this, and I'm not in the area but I have family in LA. They said they should be ok and are following reccommendations.

For all of you that live in the area, good luck and I hope you all get through it without incident. Please keep us informed.