We want to start tonight with violent storms and this summer packed with extreme weather and excessive heat. Tonight, we’re talking about tropical storm Hilary which slammed Southern California with record breaking rainfall strong winds and widespread floodwaters. This is the biggest storm, the strongest storm to hit the Golden State, in more than eight decades. Aerial footage shows the transformation from sunny deserts and palm trees to a wasteland of thick mud covering everything in sight. The mud several feet deep in some areas, water turning roads and interstates into rivers. Officials warn that the rains and flooding will continue as the storm moves north toward the Canadian border.

Just imagine the force when it slammed into this building, ripping it right open. Tonight, neighborhoods buried in several inches of mud and residents left knee-deep in aggravation. Hilary packed a wallop for a region that last saw a tropical storm eighty-four years ago. Boulders tumbled. Across southern California, many tried to drive on flooded roads, some that turned into muck. This truck ended up half buried. Even rescuers needed to be rescued. Palm Springs normally gets about four and one and half inches of rain a year. It received nearly that much in one day. And so much standing water on roads that looked OK, this is what happened as cars tried to brake coming down interstate 5. And in the midst of one natural disaster, a 5.1 earthquake jolted the town of Ojai and was felt over a wide area. It was that kind of day.