The Southern California coastline is, generally speaking, among the most peaceful and predictable in the world — with flooding and storm surge very rare due to the region's Mediterranean climate. As of this writing, live camera views of the coastline looked like any summer weekend for some of America's favorite beaches. That won't be true for much longer.
The National Hurricane Center issued something called a "Tropical Storm Watch" for Southern California on Friday, saying Hurricane Hilary has "the potential for rare and dangerous flooding impacts from heavy rainfall across portions of the Southwestern U.S. this weekend." The significance can't be understated: Since the Center was established in 1956, the west coast has never been issued a Tropical Storm Watch until now.
SEE ALSO: Wow, a very rare hurricane is tracking toward California. What to know.Mashable has a detailed explanation of the potential risks, and if you're in Southern California, you should make sure you're ready for historic rainfall, and stocked up on emergency supplies. If you're watching from afar, however, you might want some camera views that can help you understand the impact this storm is having.
Along the coast, storm surge is expected, and that means the real potential for saltwater to rise to perilous heights, testing the area's storm barriers and seawalls on the beaches and coastal neighborhoods in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties.
Hurricane Hilary livecams in the San Diego area
Here's a view of San Diego's Mission Bay, used as a spot for launching kayaks and rowboat. This sport is normally shielded from hard surf by the Mission Beach peninsula to its west.
La Jolla Shores Beach is normally another nice place to launch kayaks, and generally just a popular spot for summer fun.
A livecam on Catalina Island, off the coast of California
Isla de Santa Catalina, or just Catalina Island, is 22 miles to the west of the California coast. This live view normally gives viewers a peek at a bald eagle's nest.
A live view of Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach is in Orange County. The U.S. Open of Surfing, arguably the most important surfing competition in the world, happens here annually.
Hurricane Hilary's impact on Venice Beach
This is a live view of the Venice Boardwalk. The Venice Beach area (actually a neighborhood in Los Angeles proper) is exceptionally at-risk for flooding because it's so low-lying, and due to its inland waterways.
Live camera view of Santa Monica during Hurricane Hilary
The pier at Santa Monica beach is an iconic part of mid-20th century Americana, because it was the western terminus of the famous Route 66. Today, it remains a playground for locals and tourists alike.
Live views of inland areas impacted by Hurricane Hilary
Hilary is not expected to come ashore in the U.S. from the west and inland, but instead to roll south-to-north over Southern California. This means some of the expected impacts will be in the Inland Empire and high desert, where rain in August — let alone tropical storms — is very rare.
Palm Springs is in danger of flash flooding.
This view of a YouTube user's home garden in the Mojave Desert normally shows a bird bath popular among local birds.
How is Hurricane Hilary related to climate change?
Climate change is impacting hurricanes. Some of these impacts are clear, particularly more serious rainfall and historic flooding, along with higher storm surges. Other impacts, like how the relentless warming oceans are affecting how strong these storms grow, are an intensive and ongoing area of research.
