Hilary updates: Over 1 foot of rain hits San Bernardino as LA avoids catastrophe

Traffic headed in both directions on Interstate 10 was brought to standstill as roads flooded in Cathedral City on Sunday, officials said.

“I-10 in Cathedral City from Gene Autry to Bob Hope Dr. is closed due to flooding and debris on the highway. Unknown duration of clear,” the California Department of Transportation’s District 8 said on social media.

Cathedral City is Palm Springs’ neighbor in the Coachella Valley.

Emergency 911 service was knocked out by the storm late Sunday in both cities, police in Cathedral City and in Palm Springs said.

As of 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, Hilary remains a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds now down to 45 mph. The center of Hilary is located about 105 miles northwest of San Diego. It is moving at 28 mph.

Widespread flash flood warnings remain in effect across Southern California as areas of heavy rain continue to sweep through the region. The flash flood warnings in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties have been extended until 3 a.m. PT Monday. Flash flooding is ongoing across the region. There are also warnings in many desert areas, including Death Valley.

The widespread heavy rain in Southern California will begin to ease up soon, first in the southeastern part of the state. After 10 p.m. PT Sunday, there is a notable improvement regionwide, with the worst of the heavy rain over and the rain becoming less intense. There is lingering rain overnight in some areas but not as heavy as earlier.

Even though the rain ends, there could still be residual impacts, like landslides or rockslides.

- ABC News Meteorologist Daniel Peck

Hilary is continuing as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds now down to 50 mph as of 5 p.m. PT Sunday. The center of Hilary has now officially moved into Southern California and is located about 25 miles south, southwest of Palm Springs. It is currently moving north at 23 mph.

- ABC News Meteorologist Daniel Peck

Schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest school district in the country, will be closed on Monday as Tropical Storm Hilary makes its way to the area, the district's superintendent said at a press conference on Sunday.

LAUSD serves 565,479 students. Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho expects schools to be open on Tuesday.

The San Diego Unified School District also announced school closures for Monday.