As a byproduct of Post-Tropical Cyclone Hilary, some normally arid Department of Energy weapons complex sites out West experienced unusually heavy rain or wind, according to the latest from the National Weather Service.
However, a DOE Office of Environmental Management spokesperson said Tuesday morning no significant weather-related damage or disruptions have been reported at the nuclear sites.
Flash flood watches were in effect through Monday evening for DOE’s Nevada National Security Site as well as Simi Valley, California where the Santa Susana Field Laboratory is located. Forecasts of persistent and sometimes heavy rain through Wednesday also created a chance of flash flooding in counties around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, according to the Weather Service.
There was also a strong wind advisory in effect through Monday evening for Idaho National Laboratory, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Winds in the Idaho Falls area were expected to gust up to 23 miles per hour Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
A flood watch remained in effect Tuesday for Mercury, Nev., the closed Nye County village where the Nevada National Security Site is located, according to the forecast. The rain started over the weekend and was expected to total between two and four inches, enough to produce flooding.
Simi Valley, where Santa Susana is located, received about 3.5 inches of rain from the unusually harsh storm hitting the West Coast, the Ventura County Sun newspaper reported. A portion of Santa Susana, the former Energy Technology Engineering Center, is being cleaned up by DOE.
