California Earthquake Video Shows Streets Shaking as Hilary Makes Landfall

A security camera in Ventura County, California, captured the moment a magnitude 5.1 shook the ground in the city of Ojai, northwest of Los Angeles, at the same time as tropical storm Hilary made landfall in the region.

The footage, shared on social media, shows the street visibly shaking, and a vehicle—a white pick-up—being violently moved from side to side.

The earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, struck 4.34 miles southeast of Ojai at about 2:40 p.m. local time. It was followed by a series of aftershocks that hit southern California on Sunday afternoon, including Los Angeles—more than 60 miles away from the epicenter.

The earthquake, though reportedly felt by many, did not cause any serious damage, according to a dispatcher with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office reported by The Associated Press.

It was an additional challenge for California officials on Sunday, who were bracing for a rare tropical storm that flooded parts of Mexico and battered the region with heavy winds and rains. As the tropical storm advanced north on Sunday night, Los Angeles was put under a flash flood alert until 3 a.m. on Monday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Los Angeles urged residents to keep off the roads for fears they could be swept off by flash floods. "PLEASE... STAY OFF THE ROADS," NWS L.A. wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The rainfall intensity we are observing is producing SIGNIFICANT flooding issues."

Hilary made landfall around midday on Mexico's Baja California coast, inundating the arid peninsula with heavy rainfall rarely seen in that quantity in the region. The floodwaters later moved on to southern California, spilling over the region's roadways and highways.

It was the first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years, according to forecasters, and prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for much of the region on Sunday.

The tropical storm is just the latest in a series of major extreme weather events to have battered the U.S. in recent weeks. The Hawaiian island of Maui was ravaged by wildfires for almost a week which reduced the historic resort town of Lahaina to ashes. According to the latest official estimate, more than 100 people have been killed by the blaze—and hundreds more are still unaccounted for.

Hilary was expected to hit other states as it moved northward, including Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, before weakening. The storm has left streets in southern California completely inundated by water and mud, forcing some of the state's largest school districts to cancel classes on Monday, including the Los Angeles Unified School District. In a video shared by the district, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the decision was necessary to ensure the safety of children.

"There is no way we can compromise the safety of a single child or an employee, and our inability to survey buildings, our inability to determine access to schools makes it nearly impossible for us to open schools," he said at a media briefing.

Update, 8/21/23 3:45 a.m. ET: This breaking news article was updated with additional information.