Tropical Storm Hilary Rolls Into SoCal (And Other Headlines)

Tropical Storm Hilary is here, bringing with it blankets of rain, high winds and very high concerns about flooding and mudslides. LAUSD even canceled classes for today.

Hilary rolls into SoCal

Storm talk and trepidation had been everywhere in Southern California these past few days — as the region faced down a rare tropical storm coming our way.

We've been getting ready with the rest of you, from surf warnings to authorities urging residents of Catalina Island to leave. By the time it got here, Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm — but those have their own tragic history here, as we learned the last time one hit the area.

All eyes are now on Palm Springs, an area ripe for bad flooding due to the dry desert soil’s inability to absorb vast amounts of rainfall.

Here’s where things stand for now on the storm, and we have a few more resources below. One key thing to note: We’re doing our best to make sure you’re updated in this newsletter but when the news is moving this fast, remember you can always check LAist.com for the latest.

Stay safe, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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More news

(After you stop hitting snooze)

• Yes, we also felt some shaking. That was an earthquake near Ojai with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1.
• ​​​​​​Did you get a flash flood warning? Here’s our guide on how to make sense of what exactly those mean. If you have to drive today, please heed our updated guide on driving in the rain. Don’t be that person.
• As you follow storm news, you might notice that similar terms mean different things depending on who is saying them. That’s… not ideal. So we’ve also updated our guide on how to navigate those terms.
• The story of how a post on Reddit about a surprising post-meal restaurant surcharge ended up aiding in the creation of a Google spreadsheet that tracks down other eateries doing the same thing. We ended up speaking to the poster.
• Latino actors and writers set up for protesting outside of the Warner Bros. parking lot, adding a different perspective to the dual strikes in Hollywood.
• The Los Angeles Unified School District has changed up its guidance when it comes to sending kids who might not be feeling well to school.
  

Wait... one more thing

The top three tea-sipping trends

THREE - Spain takes the FIFA Women’s World Cup

Spain was seen as a team in disarray coming into the tournament, while England was seen as one of the clear favorites to win it all, especially after the USWNT got sent home earlier. Despite all that, Spain defeated England 1-0 in Sunday’s World Cup final, though questions still surround the team in the aftermath.

TWO - KCON lights up Los Angeles

KCON is the biggest celebration of Korean pop culture and music, and it took over the city (despite any fears of weather) over the weekend. We’ve talked about KCON extensively for the K-Pop Dreaming podcast, and social media — as one can expect — has kept extensive tabs on it.

ONE - Hilary makes the rounds on the internet

Surfers, flooding and damage are among the multitude of images you’ll see on social media when it comes to Tropical Storm Hilary, but another thing you might run into? Memes. In the days leading up to the storm, the internet reminded us that it remains undefeated, as evidenced by this collection of memes that started springing up when people heard a hurricane was headed to L.A. Also, because of the quake in Ojai, the internet quickly went to work unearthing the term "hurriquake." No, really ... it did.