Hurricane Dolores was a powerful and moderately damaging tropical cyclone whose remnants brought record-breaking heavy rains and strong winds to California.

Dolores rapidly intensified as it neared the Baja California peninsula, finally peaking as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) on July 15.

High rainfall rates caused a bridge on Interstate 10 to collapse and injure one person, and a road was washed out on California State Route 78 near the California–Arizona border.

[5] Consequently, at 12:00 UTC, the NHC declared the system Tropical Depression Five-E while located roughly 345 mi (555 km) south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico.

[7] Late that day, the depression attained tropical storm intensity and received the name Dolores, as a small central dense overcast developed near the low-level circulation center.

[1][8] Despite environmental conditions that were nearly ideal and largely favorable for strengthening, moderate northwesterly wind shear caused by an upper-level trough initially prevented much intensification.

[9] Dolores attained hurricane status at 21:00 UTC on July 13 as it turned westward away from the Mexican coastline, with a ragged eye developing alongside more convective banding.

[12] However, soon afterward, at 00:00 UTC on July 15, Dolores rapidly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane, with the eye becoming more apparent on satellite imagery and very cold cloud tops developing near the center of circulation.

[16] Cloud tops briefly cooled, usually signaling the redevelopment of strong thunderstorms, but dry air had started to mix into the circulation.

[20] With increasing northerly shear, the system eventually degenerated into a post-tropical remnant low about 300 mi (480 km) west of the Baja California coast on July 18.

The remnant low slowly curved southward, before dissipating on July 22, a few hundred miles west of San Diego, California.

[1] The interaction of the moisture with the trough brought record–breaking rainfall and heavy thunderstorms to Southern California, including major cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles.

[24][25] This rain assisted firefighters in containing the North Fire,[26] but also resulted in debris flows and rock slides that damaged about 90 homes and submerged cars.

[29] Strong winds blew over a semi truck as well as power poles and lines on Interstate 40 near the California-Nevada border, obstructing the road in both directions and causing $75,000 in damage.