CNN —Hurricane Hilary is rapidly intensifying in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico on Thursday and is on track to deliver potentially significant rain and flooding to parts of the Southwest as a weaker system starting this weekend. One of those places is Death Valley, California, the hottest place on Earth. The combination of rainfall and increased cloud cover across the Southwest is expected to bring a significant cooldown over the weekend. The most recent was an unnamed tropical storm in 1939, NOAA records show. 1997’s Nora was the last and only other tropical storm to maintain its status after crossing into California.

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Persons: Hilary, Daniel Swain, San Diego Hurricane, —, Nora Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center, University of California, US Drought Monitor, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, San Diego Locations: Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Peninsula, California, Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Central California, Los Angeles, Death Valley , California, Death, floodwater, New Mexico, Phoenix