A tropical storm warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the area in the next 36 hours.
This is the first tropical storm warning ever put in place between Hawaii and Texas, the NWS said.
Some areas could see up to 10 inches.
Hurricane Hilary
It is bounded by Indio on the east and the City of Riverside in the west.
There is also a high risk swath up around Death Valley.
See overview and close-up images below.
Sand berms are in place along the peninsula in Long Beach on Friday.Getty Images
It peaked on Friday at 145 mph.
Hilary has intensified rapidly, going from a tropical storm to a Cat 4 hurricane in just 24 hours.
Its windspeed was 130 mph as of 11 p.m. Rare and dangerous flooding also is possible across the mountains.
The speed of the storm counts a lot.
If it rolls slowly over land, it could be more destructive with winds and rain for longer periods.
The 1939 storm caused widespread damage, and the affected areas are much more heavily populated now.
Checkhttps://t.co/RzyiIU9fB0andhttps://t.co/mhjKxR0cWQfor the latest.pic.twitter.com/MI0rVG7A9c
City News Service contributed to this report.
