Hurricane Hilary has started to creep into the Imperial Valley.

Rain often accompanied by thunder and lightening began Friday night and will continue through Monday. The early storm activity caused flooding of several highways and county roads as well as city streets. The Imperial Irrigation District has been dealing with power outages scattered throughout their service area. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Flash Flood Watch that will remain in effect until Monday afternoon. The showers and scattered thunderstorms will become increasingly more widespread as moisture associated with Hilary pushes into the region. NWS says we can expect extreme rainfall amounts through the weekend across Imperial County and tis will cause possibly catastrophic flooding. 

Imperial County and Valley cities have made sand bags available to help citizens cope with the anticipated flooding. The County Office of Emergency Services has activated the Emergency Command Center to continuously monitor the storm conditions. The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the City of El Centro Community Center for people affected by the storm. Residents are encouraged to stay safe, stay at home and stay off the roads. Be especially aware of the normally dry washes in rural areas that are prone to flooding.

A Wind Advisory has also been issued by NWS with winds out of the southeast 25 to 35 mh and gusts up to 55 mph. The Wind Advisory will be in effect until Monday morning.