We begin tonight with forty-two million people in the west bracing for hurricane Hilary. The massive and rare storm is heading directly toward the southwest. The effects of the storm are already being felt in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with high winds and torrential downpours. Right now, people from San Diego to Los Angeles are preparing for the worst beginning over the weekend as southern California is under its first ever tropical storm watch. The storm packing triple-digit wind speeds is expected to weaken as it moves closer to land but could become the first tropical storm to make a landfall in California in more than eight decades. Forecasters say some areas of California and Nevada could see ten inches of rain.

Southern California is taking advantage of the calm before the storm. Building berms to protect beach communities from high surf and swift water rescue teams are on standby. Flooding is a huge concern after relentless winter storms battered the Golden State earlier this year. Now, emergency managers are tracking Hilary trying to anticipate where resources will be needed most. When the storm hits, some areas could see up to ten inches of rain. Las Vegas usually gets a little more than four inches of rain in a year. If the storm continues on its path, it could get that amount in one weekend. The last tropical storm to hit southern California was back in 1939. It dumped more than five inches of rain in Los Angeles flooding communities and washing away homes, forty-five people died.