SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The Baja California state government is on alert preparing for possible flooding and wind damage generated by Tropical Storm Hilary.

The rain and wind are expected to arrive by Sunday.

Officials say the path of the storm could change and it could veer into the Pacific away from Northern Baja.

But just in case the storm remains on track, Salvador Cervantes Hernández, head of civil protection in Baja California, said the state “has launched actions” to prepare for possible problems.

He said the one thing they are doing now is monitoring the strength of the storm and where it’s likely to go.

The state’s civil protection personnel will be mobilized as of Friday to prepare for emergencies according to Cervantes Hernández.

He also stated cities across Baja California have been asked to go on alert.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hilary formed in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday about 470 miles off the coast of Manzanillo, Mexico and it’s moving west by northwest.

It says the rain and wind could also have an impact on the Southwestern United States, especially Southern California and Arizona.

The National Hurricane Center predicts Hilary will turn into a hurricane along the way but its intensity and winds should diminish once it gets into colder water off the coast of Baja California.

“Although it is too soon to determine the location and magnitude of rainfall and wind impacts, interests in these areas should monitor the progress of Hilary and updates to the forecast,” the Hurricane Center said. “Large swells from Hilary will spread northward along the coast of southwestern Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula during the next days.”