You from the nbc news center here in los angeles. Welcome everyone to alex witt reports. We begin with the Breaking News, Tropical Storm hilary has begun lashing the pacific coast. Live pictures from san diego in the direct path of the storm we are heavy rain is beginning to fall in parts of california, and now under a State Of Emergency. Moving to las vegas, preparations for the orders are underway there. Storm drains are being tested, and potential for historic flooding there. Heavy rain could reach up to ten inches in some areas hit by the storms. So the impact could be catastrophic. The next two days will be crucial. Will hilary move north through california today and then into Northern Nevada by monday morning. A short time ago, the category one hurricane was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. But it is the first to hit california since 1939. Officials are warning, take this seriously. There would be Power Outages, make no mistake. There will be Power Outages across Southern Californ
And it has just reached a new peak 20. 96 degrees celsius, the highest Global Average sea temperature ever recorded. The worlds warming waters are a dangerous trend, say experts. Peoples perspective is that the ocean is so big, so vast, that it can buffer anything that humanity can throw at it. And the reality is thats not the case. Everything has its niche within the ocean, and its incredibly easy to break that niche and influence it and upset it. Take plankton. These tiny plants and animals are crucial to life on the planet. Theyre the basis of the entire Marine Food Chain and produce half the oxygen in our atmosphere. So, every other breath you take. And they are sensitive to heat. Many species have been migrating north as the worlds oceans warm. Personally, im really concerned. The heatwaves that were experiencing on land and the Marine Heatwaves that were seeing are happening in unusual locations where we havent expected them. But there is hope. Scientists are learning more about