As tropical storm Hilary bears down on Southern California, a series of earthquakes complicated the picture even further, with a magnitude 5.1 quake just south of the Los Padres National Forest around 2:45 p.m. Sunday (2145 GMT).

Four more followed suit in the minutes after, ranging from 3.1 to 3.6 on the Richter scale.

The storm made landfall Sunday on the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, with “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” expected in the region, including across parts of the southwestern U.S., according to the National Hurricane Centre.

One person drowned Saturday in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast, 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.

Forecasters have warned of “life-threatening” flooding in areas not known for rainfall and said strong winds might down trees and power lines.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency ahead of Hilary’s expected landing later Sunday.

The storm is expected to enter the history books as the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. 

(tca/dpa/NAN)