A magnitude 5.1 earthquake jolted Ventura County Sunday afternoon as Southern California braces for Hurricane Hilary.
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The quake hit around 2:41 p.m. was centered near the city of Ojai, according to the USGS. It was followed by a series of aftershocks, the largest measuring a magnitude of 3.6.
There were no reports of injuries or damage, but according to social media users, it was felt across L.A. County and Riverside County.
Hurricane Hilary is advancing toward California and Arizona, with the potential to bring storms and flooding.
The heart of Tropical Storm Hilary was reported as being 145 miles southwest of Yuma, according to AccuWeather, which said 1 to 2 inches of rain had fallen over the area.
The National Park Service has closed Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The closure will remain in effect “at least through Monday,” a Park Service advisory said.
One person drowned Saturday in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast on the Gulf of California, when a vehicle was swept away in an overflowing stream. Rescue workers managed to save four other people, said Edith Aguilar Villavicencio, the mayor of Mulege township.
Weather authorities in United States have warned about what they called catastrophic and life-threatening flooding in the Southwest. The Phoenix Fire Department sent a search-and-rescue team to Yuma as a precaution and in parts of California, notably in San Bernardino County, authorities have issued stay-home and evacuation orders as the storm bears down.
According to data at FlightAware, 165 flights in and out of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas have been canceled, with another 44 delayed. In San Diego, 44% of flights were canceled, totaling 130 flights. Another 297 flights in and out of major California airports were canceled. ■
The main thing making weather headlines Friday and into the weekend will be the widespread coverage of showers and thunderstorms across much of the central and eastern U.S., with a particular focus across southeast Texas, the Mid-South, and portions of Virginia.