Much of the tropical focus right now is on Category 3 Hurricane Isaias which will make landfall just east of Mobile, Alabama later tonight or early Saturday morning. However, there is another story that deserves our attention. San Diego, California is currently within the cone of uncertainty and under a Tropical Storm Watch. That’s not common.

According to media reports , it is only the second Tropical Storm Watch in the history of the state, and the first one since 2023. I have been watching this potential scenario evolve, but I have directed most of my attention to #Isaias. Tropical Storm Rachel is currently moving northeastward at 7 miles per hour. It has sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and is expected to maintain tropical storm intensity up until landfall. In fact, there is a chance the storm could intensify a bit more before it reaches the coast.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the west coast of Baja California from San Jose de Las Palomas northward to the U.S./Mexico Border, according to the National Hurricane Center. Here’s the “wow” part for me. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the southern California coast from the U.S/Mexico Border northward to the San Diego/Orange County Line. That’s just not something you see every season.

The storm will produce gust winds that should spread into interior portions of the southwestern U.S. Rainfall totals could range from 1 to 5 inches near the coast and portions of the Southwest. The risk of urban and flash flooding extends from San Diego to Las Vegas. Coastal regions could also face dangerous swells and rip currents.