A coastal flood warning was in effect for beaches spanning from Malibu to San Diego on Saturday, as Tropical Storm Rachel moved toward Southern California. In Orange County, Newport Beach closed its piers and temporarily shut down its beaches, while other areas like Long Beach kept some oceanfront residents under evacuation orders. The National Weather Service’s San Diego office indicated that Sunday morning would present the highest flooding risks along the Orange and San Diego coasts, attributed to a combination of swells, onshore winds, and high tides.
Newport Beach police issued an online alert Saturday morning, announcing the closure of all city beaches and piers until further notice due to flooding. This declaration followed the city's local emergency declaration on Friday, prompted by overnight flooding on the Balboa Peninsula. By early Saturday afternoon, police reported that beaches had reopened, though Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, and The Wedge remained closed. An official in a city Instagram video requested the public stay off the berms and warned that flooding was expected to continue. The weather service projects more coastal flooding on Sunday, with a high tide at Newport Beach forecast to reach 7.6 feet at 9:48 a.m. This could lead to flooding of low-lying property, including homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure, according to the agency’s San Diego office. Surf in the region could reach 6 to 9 feet, particularly at south-facing beaches in Orange County, stated Adam Roser, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in San Diego. Local resident Joe Angelo, who has lived in the Newport Beach area for 60 years and owned his beachfront home for 27, expressed “shock and disbelief” at the flooding, noting he had not seen such an event in decades. Sandbags were seen lining numerous homes and businesses near Balboa Boulevard on Saturday morning. Despite official warnings, some individuals were observed climbing sand berms to watch the waves.
Further north, Long Beach maintained a mandatory evacuation order for homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th places. This order, effective from Friday evening through Tuesday noon, is subject to change based on evolving conditions. City officials reported that waves topped the bulkhead, sending water into homes and streets. Inspectors red-tagged eight buildings across 13 addresses, including apartments, marking them unsafe to enter, and yellow-tagged at least one, restricting its use. The city closed the Peninsula to non-resident traffic and implemented additional street closures. Mayor Rex Richardson urged residents to “take this seriously and be prepared,” highlighting that the city's bulkhead and pedestrian boardwalk had already sustained significant structural damage. City workers are using timber and thousands of sandbags to stabilize compromised areas and prevent collapse. Long Beach City Manager Tom Modica indicated that a lengthy recovery is anticipated, with requests for assistance expected from the state and potentially federal government, projecting impacts over “the entire next couple of months.”
The National Weather Service’s Oxnard office indicated Saturday that the expected coastal flooding impacts on Sunday morning for vulnerable south-facing beaches of Los Angeles County could be the most significant seen so far this season. The center of Tropical Storm Rachel was expected to move onshore in northern Baja California on Saturday night. While Rachel's forecast track shifted farther south, leaving most of San Diego County outside its projected path, wind impacts were still anticipated, according to Adam Roser. A tropical storm watch remained in effect for all of San Diego County. Water at the Los Angeles Harbor tide gauge peaked at 7.7 feet Saturday morning, surpassing the predicted tide by about 1.6 feet. Projected high tides for Sunday morning of around 8 feet could approach or exceed recent record levels for Los Angeles County.
In Orange County, Huntington Beach activated its emergency operations center on Friday. Many spectators were observed watching the pounding waves there at high tide Saturday morning. A section of Bolsa Chica State Beach that flooded Friday appeared to avoid further issues on Saturday. The heaviest rain associated with the storm was expected late Saturday night into Sunday morning, with most coastal areas potentially receiving about an inch or less, while some mountain areas could see more than four inches. Inland, southern San Bernardino County faced at least a 40% chance of excessive rain and flash flooding through Saturday night, with heavy rains and flooding being the primary concern, stated Julie Phillipson, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
