圣迭戈史上第二次发布热带风暴观察，「蕾切尔」预计周日清晨登陆下加州北部
圣迭戈县周六被列入热带风暴观察范围，这是美国国家气象局 2023 年开始为南加地区发布这类警报以来，圣迭戈历史上第二次收到热带风暴观察。此前唯一一次是 2023 年的飓风「希拉里」。气象局圣迭戈办公室已将观察范围扩大到全县所有预报区及邻近沿海水域。
热带风暴「蕾切尔」目前最大持续风速约 60 英里/小时，正以每小时 21 英里的速度向东北加速移动。美国国家飓风中心预报，「蕾切尔」将在周六深夜至周日清晨之间在墨西哥下加州半岛北部登陆，登陆点大约在恩塞纳达至拉萨罗·卡德纳斯之间一带，登陆后迅速减弱。
国家气象局预报，圣迭戈地区阵风最强的时段是周日清晨。低海拔地区阵风预计在 25 至 40 英里/小时，山区可达 50 至 70 英里/小时。气象局表示，如果风暴路径比预报偏北，风力可能进一步增强；如果偏南，则会减弱。飓风中心同时对下加州西岸圣何塞—德拉斯帕洛马斯以北至美墨边境一带发布了热带风暴警报。
美国国家气象局天气预测中心已对周六晚至周日、从南加州到内华达州南部、犹他州西南部和亚利桑那州西北部的广大区域发布 3 级（共 4 级）强降雨威胁，覆盖圣迭戈和拉斯维加斯。3 级威胁意味着预计出现多场突发山洪事件，并可能造成显著影响。
预报显示，圣迭戈和拉斯维加斯的降雨量可能达到 1 英寸以上。这一数字约为圣迭戈整个 10 月平均降雨量的两倍、拉斯维加斯的三倍。沙漠地区土壤难以在短时间内吸收集中降雨，内陆突发山洪风险显著升高。气象局提醒居民注意疏通排水沟、将车辆移至高处，暴雨期间不要穿越积水路段，并持续关注气象局圣迭戈办公室发布的最新警报。
San Diego Under Rare Tropical Storm Watch as Tropical Storm Rachel Nears Northern Baja Landfall
San Diego County was placed under a tropical storm watch on Saturday, only the second time on record for the region since the National Weather Service began issuing such alerts for Southern California in 2023. The previous occurrence was for Hurricane Hilary in 2023. The NWS San Diego office extended the watch to all San Diego County forecast zones and adjacent coastal waters.
Tropical Storm Rachel was packing maximum sustained winds near 60 mph while accelerating northeast at about 21 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecast the storm to make landfall in Mexico's northern Baja California Peninsula late Saturday or early Sunday, likely between Ensenada and Lazaro Cardenas, followed by rapid weakening after it moves inland.
Peak wind gusts in and around San Diego are expected early Sunday morning, ranging from 25 to 40 mph in lower elevations to 50 to 70 mph in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Stronger gusts are possible if Rachel takes a more northerly track, or weaker if it shifts farther south. A tropical storm warning is in effect on the west coast of Baja California from San Jose de Las Palomas northward to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The NWS Weather Prediction Center issued a Level 3 of 4 threat of flooding rainfall for Saturday night through Sunday across Southern California, southern Nevada, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona, including San Diego and Las Vegas. A Level 3 threat means numerous flash flood events are expected, with significant impacts possible.
San Diego and Las Vegas could see an inch or more of rainfall, roughly double San Diego's normal October total and triple that of Las Vegas. Desert areas cannot rapidly absorb intense bursts of rainfall, raising the likelihood of flash flooding inland. Residents are urged to clear storm drains, move vehicles to higher ground, never drive through flooded roads, and keep monitoring the latest advisories from the NWS San Diego office.
图片来源：NOAA / CIRA 卫星影像，公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
