By Mary O’KEEFE

Hurricane Hilary, which was downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit California, was historic. For the most part we were very lucky; our readership areas didn’t incur much damage from the storm though many parts of the state are still digging out from debris and flooding.

There have been more than 300 hurricanes to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts since recordkeeping began in 1851, according to NOAA. And the last tropical storm that made landfall in California was in 1939.

Hurricanes in the eastern Pacific grow out of the warm waters generally between Mexico and Hawaii where trade winds typically push them east to west, according to weather.com.

The formation of hurricanes needs ocean temperatures to be warmer than 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pacific waters are normally cooler; as of Aug. 22 the ocean temperature in the Santa Monica Basin was 66.6, and the temperature off San Diego was 67.8. At the same time, Charleston, South Carolina (Atlantic waters) were 87.1 degrees and Lake Worth Pier in Florida was 86.2, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

But oceans are warming due to climate change.

A tropical storm is a storm with maximum sustained winds between 39 mph and 73 mph, with gusts that exceed 74 mph. A hurricane is a storm with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher.

The last time a tropical storm made landfall in Southern California was on Sept. 25, 1939. According to reports from newspapers at the time, prior to the storm Southern California had been dealing with a heat wave where temperatures were as high as 107 degrees … sound familiar? The 1939 tropical storm hit San Pedro first with winds up to 65 mph then drenched Los Angeles with over five inches of rain in 24 hours. The LA River raged and city phone lines went down, as did several trees. Rain totals on Mt. Wilson were registered at over 11 inches.

According to an Associated Press article, the “violent storm” killed at least 45 people on land and 48 people at sea. Property damage was over $1 million, about $22 million in today’s dollars. At least a dozen homes were destroyed along the coast. Railroad tracks washed out throughout the state, as did roads and bridges. The storm was known as “the Lash of St. Francis” or El Cordonazo.

There are photos from 1939 of this huge wall of water at Belmont Shores in Long Beach. Seeing that wall of water made me think of “Sharknado.” Honestly I rarely think of the “Sharknado” films but this unique hurricane-turned-tropical storm did have my mind wandering.

First of all, if you haven’t seen this series of films, it is worth the look if you appreciate campy to ridiculous science fiction disaster movies. Why these films have captured the imagination and hearts of so many is one of the mysteries of life, but they are difficult to turn away from once you start watching.

So the first film starts with a hurricane that is heading for the coast of LA, during which somehow (for the love of all things natural do not try to analyze why) sharks are caught up in the storm and are flung onto the unsuspecting humans. Out of these dark waves come the largest sharks you have ever seen – and always with their mouths open. There are heroes that fight the good shark fight against our main hero’s weapon of choice – the chainsaw.

There are six of these “Sharknado” films – yep six of them – that span locations from New York to London. There’s even a time traveling shark adventure; however, there is an odd sense of pride I cannot explain that it all started in Los Angeles.

In the land of reality, this made me wonder ‘What does happen to sea life during hurricanes?’ According to NOAA, slow-moving fish, turtles and shellfish beds are often decimated by the rough undercurrents and rapid changes in water temperature and salinity wrought by a hurricane. But sharks, whales and other large animals swiftly move to calmer waters.

Sea creatures have a bit of a head start when it comes to hurricanes. There is usually a large amount of rain that precedes a hurricane, which decreases the salinity in the ocean waters. So it is thought some animals react to this and get out of town, so to speak, before the storm.

However hurricanes are still incredibly disruptive to the ocean environment.

As a hurricane moves across the ocean it causes an “upwelling,” which is when the bottom water is brought to the top. This churning can bring deep-sea creatures onto the shores after a hurricane.

And this is where I think “Sharknado: The Next Generation” could go because a shark with a large open mouth is scary but so are some of the other sea creatures that have been found on the shores after large storms. According to National Geographic, one animal that is often found after large storms is the oarfish. It is thought to live in depths of 3,300 feet and inhabits tropical waters. It is the longest bony fish in the sea. In Japanese folklore, the oarfish is known as a “messenger from the Sea God’s Palace” and has gained a reputation as a doomsday harbinger. It was first sighted in 1772 and is thought to be the inspiration for legends of sea serpents found around the world.

Anyone remember “Beany and Cecil?” Well Cecil could easily have been an oarfish.

In 2017 after Hurricane Harvey a fang-tooth snake eel that normally lives at depths of 300 feet was found off the shore of Texas. Take a moment and imagine a fang-tooth snake eel coming at you through the Sharknado hurricane clouds.

In New England a goosefish was found on shore after a storm. I have no idea why it is called a goosefish because this fish has jaws with long, slender curved teeth that are very sharp. And all the teeth point inward toward the gullet in one to three rows with several rows of thorn-like teeth on the roof of the mouth. Okey dokey. Anyone thinking shark jaws might not be the worst thing at this point?

And just in case the new film wants to expand to the middle of the country, after 2012’s Hurricane Isaac there were 1,500 dead nutria, a beaver-like rodent, thrown onto beaches in Mississippi.

Oh yeah, I can see it now: “Oarnado,” “Goosenado” and “Nutrianado” coming to the small screen near you.

But back to reality, which is sometimes scarier than any film. The unique tropical storms on the West Coast and stronger hurricanes on the East Coast and Gulf are probably not going to be that unusual anymore. Climate change is driving more rapid intensification and storms packed with rain, according to National Geographic.

As our oceans warm the chance of more intense hurricanes will become a reality not just a theory.

“Over the 39-year period from 1979-2017, the number of major hurricanes has increased while the number of smaller hurricanes has decreased. Based on modeling, NOAA predicts an increase in Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes, alongside increased hurricane wind speeds,” according to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

And that is scarier than any “Sharknado” film or adaptation.

We are expecting to be drying out from the Hilary rains. Today the highs will be in the mid-80s so enjoy it because this weekend will see a warming trend that will take us to Tuesday with highs in the low to mid-90s, according to NOAA.