Over 1,000 flights cancelled as Hurricane Hilary approaches US West Coast

Over 1,000 flights have been canceled  as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches the Western Coast of the United States.

The Cable News Network (CNN) reports that flight cancellations and delays are beginning to pile up Sunday due to the storm.

It said at least 1,030 flights into, out of or within the United States have been canceled on Sunday, quoting tracking website FlightAware.

At least 4,016 US flights have been delayed Sunday, the website noted.

The core of Tropical Storm Hilary is just a few hours away from Southern California. Conditions are worsening, with light morning rain giving way to heavier downpours. More than 9 million people are under flash flood warnings in Los Angeles.

Hilary is expected to cause “catastrophic and life-threatening” floods in parts of California and Nevada, where a year’s worth of rain could fall on Sunday alone.

Hilary is already lashing Baja California in Mexico, where at least one person has died in the storm. A hurricane warning is in effect for a roughly 300-mile stretch of the peninsula, according to the CNN.

The Network also reports that as Southern California braced for a highly unusual summer storm Sunday afternoon, residents were struck by a much more familiar phenomenon: a magnitude 5.1 earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was in Ojai, between Santa Barbara and Ventura, and it occurred along the Sisar fault, USGS data showed.

There were no immediate reports of damage, the Ventura County Sheriff said in a social media post. County aviation units later reported no damage after flying over the Lake Casitas and Matilija dams and the city of Ojai.