The eye of Kay made landfall as a hurricane near Bahia Asuncion, Mexico in the state of Baja California Sur on Thursday afternoon, but quickly weakened to a tropical storm after re-entering open water. By late Friday afternoon, it had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was becoming less organized, with forecasters predicting it would diminish to a remnant low overnight. Kay was centered about 130 miles south-southwest of San Diego and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph. The storm was expected to begin a more marked turn to the west that would take it farther into the Pacific. The bulk of the rain, which will be heavy at times, is now expected to arrive Friday night and continue into early Saturday morning. Mountain communities and other burn-scarred areas should prepare for significant flash flooding. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will occur on Saturday. While the rain is a welcome sight for the parched region, it could also prove troublesome for some communities on the beach. South-facing beaches are expected to see big waves for surfers, with hurricane-force swells of 4-8 feet. City of Long Beach crews on Thursday night began work on building sand at the end of Ocean Boulevard on the peninsula. Residents closer to the shore also began placing sandbags around their homes to keep the water from getting too close. However, surfers and boaters are advised to use caution as beaches in the Orange County area may also see stormy showers. Similar precautions were taken at Orange County burns, including the Laguna Niguel that was damaged by the Coastal Fire earlier this year. As part of the recovery phase, the city has already set up fences, catch basins and inspected catchment areas as a precautionary measure. Fire crews have dug diversion ditches to ensure rainwater flows smoothly from the burned hillside into the canyon. Rain will bring relief to Southern California after a prolonged, record-breaking heat wave that has lasted more than a week. Rain will drop temperatures in the area into the 80s and 90s. It is possible to bring 1-2 inches of rain to mountain communities by Friday night, leading to a good chance of flash flooding. Desert areas are also vulnerable, expecting about an inch of rain that could wash out some roads. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
