Coachella Valley inundated with mud, drivers trapped in flash floods during Tropical Storm Hilary

By and
Monday, August 21, 2023
Large swaths of Southern California that bore the brunt of Tropical Storm Hilary include Palm Springs and the rest of the Coachella Valley, where several roads and neighborhoods were inundated with flash flooding and mud flows.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) -- Large swaths of Southern California bore the brunt of Tropical Storm Hilary, including Cathedral City, Palm Springs and the rest of the Coachella Valley, where several roads and neighborhoods were inundated with flash flooding and mud flows.

AIR7 HD surveyed the area Monday morning and captured footage of the damage left behind by the storm.
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The stark views included a trapped RV on the 10 Freeway, just south of Palm Drive in Palm Springs. The vehicle was surrounded by a thick layer of mud with at least two people stuck inside.

Coachella Valley inundated with mud, drivers trapped in flash floods during Tropical Storm Hilary


A stretch of the freeway was shut down on both sides overnight due to flooding. According to Caltrans, the closure was in effect from Haugen Lehmann to Bob Hope.

By Monday afternoon, some lanes of the westbound side began moving.



In other parts of the Coachella Valley, aerials captured several cars that appeared to have been pressed against homes, also surrounded by mud.



In Palm Springs, a local state of emergency was declared Sunday due "unprecedented rainfall and flooding of local roadways and at least one swift water rescue," according to officials.

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain posted on social media Sunday afternoon that Palm Springs "recorded its heaviest hourly rainfall on record, and intense tropical downpours could continue for hours in the Coachella Valley."
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The city of Indio followed suit by declaring its own local emergency late Sunday night, saying the storm has "threatened local infrastructure and public health and safety."

A person pushes a cart on a flooded street as Tropical Storm Hilary heads north near Palm Springs, California, on Aug. 20, 2023.none
A person in rain gear looks through the sand at the beach in Carlsbad, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023.none
Surfer Adrian Zimmerman is pulled with rope attached to a bike as he skims with a board on a fully soaked lawn under heavy rain at Cannon Park in Carlsbad, Calif., Aug. 20, 2023.none
Cars sit submerged in floodwaters on the Golden State Freeway as tropical storm Hilary moves through the area on Aug. 20, 2023, in Sun Valley, California.none
An aerial image shows mud along roadways following heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hilary, in Rancho Mirage, California, on August 21, 2023.none
Workers set up a sign near a flooded intersection as tropical storm Hilary moves through the area on Aug. 20, 2023, in San Bernardino, California.none
The Garbage Boom on the Los Angeles River in Long Beach did its job overnight, collecting debris flowing down the river from tropical storm Hilary in Long Beach on Aug. 21, 2023.none
A mailbox stands on a flooded residential street in Palmdale, Calif., as a tropical storm moves into the area, Aug. 20, 2023.none
Joseph Wolensky stands in the street with a sign that says "You call this a storm?" on Aug. 20, 2023, in Palm Desert, Calif.none
A person sits with umbrellas while watching surfers at Venice Beach on Aug. 20, 2023, in Los Angeles.none
The Los Angeles River swells with rushing water near Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California on Aug. 20, 2023.none
Maura Taura talks on a cell phone outside her home next to a downed tree after Tropical Storm Hilary went through, on Aug. 21, 2023, in Sun Valley, Calif.none
A broken umbrella protrudes from a trash barrel as pedestrians walk down Hollywood Boulevard during Tropical Storm Hilary, Aug. 20, 2023, in Los Angeles.none
A child plays in the rain, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, in Los Angeles.none
Vehicles cross over a flood control basin that has almost reached the street, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, in Palm Desert, Calif.none
Members of Cal Fire Pilot Rock 6 crew clear mud off the side of the road in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary on Aug. 21, 2023, in Yucaipa, Calif.none
Dorian Padilla stands near his car as he waits for a tow after it got stuck in the mud on a street as another vehicle goes by on Aug. 21, 2023, in Cathedral City, Calif.none
A vehicle makes its way through a flooded street in a suburban area of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles as a tropical storm moves into the area on Aug. 20, 2023.none
A plow clears debris along a flooded Sierra Highway in Palmdale, Calif., as Tropical Storm Hilary moves through the area on Aug. 20, 2023.none
A woman walks her dog past a eucalyptus tree that fell on a house Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Palm Desert, Calif.none
A toppled tree from the tropical storm covers a car in Los Angeles on Aug. 21, 2023.none
Mud and water flow through a crack off the side of the road in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hilary on Aug. 21, 2023, in Yucaipa, Calif.none
A eucalyptus tree that fell on a house is seen on Aug. 21, 2023, in Palm Desert, Calif.none


On Monday morning, Cathedral City also issued a local emergency declaration. The California National Guard said that its 330th Military Police Company responded to Cathedral City and Palm Springs to aid the fire departments during rescue operations.



The swift moving mud flow smashed into everything in its path, including a Mobil gas station and other nearby businesses. A train was also derailed by flooding and debris. Firefighters then rescued the trapped engineers.

As flash flooding washed across Cathedral City with devastating force Sunday, some drivers were trapped in their vehicles for hours.

"There was a lot of rain," said resident Yvonne Cabrera. "We were hoping the pool wouldn't overflow, because it got scary there for a little bit."

Most of the damage, fortunately done to the outsides of homes.
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One family of four rode out the storm on their car.



"We were climbing on the roof because the current was so strong around us," said Luis Ramirez.
Tropical Storm Hilary brings major flooding to Palm Springs and Coachella Valley

But it would be a while before they were rescued.

"I called 911 around 30 times, but we just on getting the same answers: hold on, don't be scared... It was hard," he added.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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