For the first time in more than 80 years, Southern California is under a tropical storm watch as Hurricane Hilary heads towards the region. The storm will head north along Baja California, and is expected to hit the southwestern border of the US on Sunday afternoon or evening. The National Hurricane Center noted on Saturday morning that a “potentially historic amount of rainfall” could lead to flash flooding and landslides. “Major damage/destruction of infrastructure—including major roads and highways—is possible.” The flood risk in southeastern California deserts is “genuinely alarming,” tweeted Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies extreme weather events.