Now that Tropical Storm Hillary is behind us and not on top of us as it was on Sunday, some questions are being asked about whether the weather forecasters and city and county leaders overdid it.
Was there too much talk about possible catastrophic rain and flooding and the chances of fierce damaging wind gusts?
Some are saying it was too much. But it appears so far that most people are glad we all got the news we did ahead of time.
As the city of San Diego’s Chief Operating Officer said Monday,. “We prayed for the best case and we prepared for the worst case.” And of course having dealt with wildfires, we know it is aways better to be safe than sorry when it comes to preparing for a natural disaster.
Some will call it a case of luck. Others will call it a case of divine direction.
The National Weather Service says there actually is an official and technical reason why Hilary was not as bad as it could have been.
As meteorologist Elizabeth Adams told the San Diego Union Tribune, the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, the terrain of Baja California, where Hilary first made landfall, and the wind shear, or the changing of wind speeds and direction with height, sapped Hilary of its power. Those factors she said are “very conducive for a hurricane to collapse.”
Well, with what happened and what didn’t happen, we’re all pretty thankful it did.
(Photo Getty Images)