High Tides Keep Southern California Coast on Flood Alert

Southern California coastal communities faced another round of flooding on October 29 as unusually high tides pushed water into low-lying areas. In Newport Beach, flooding has reached residential streets and disrupted businesses. Henk Wiessman, owner of The Fun Zone Boat Company, said he had to close Tuesday because floodwater made it difficult to reach his dock, and the business had not reopened.

The National Weather Service expected Thursday’s high tide to approach 7.7 to 8 feet, with the peak around 11 a.m. Water levels have been running roughly 1.4 to 1.6 feet above astronomical predictions. Orange and San Diego counties were under a flood warning through Thursday afternoon, followed by an advisory; coastal alerts were extended into Friday afternoon. Another high tide near 7.25 feet was forecast around noon Friday.

Flooding has also affected Long Beach and Sunset Beach, where streets were inundated and Pacific Coast Highway was closed. Caltrans planned another partial closure of the highway on Thursday. The weather service warned that water could affect roads, homes, businesses and infrastructure, and that shoreline erosion was possible. Newport Beach made free sandbags available at three locations while supplies lasted.

Forecasters attributed the unusually high water to a combination of tidal and ocean conditions, including El Niño and warmer-than-usual seas. Some tides this week broke records. Even higher tides are expected during the November holiday, the December holiday season and the January holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.; a strong storm coinciding with those tides could bring more severe flooding. Residents were urged to protect property and avoid flooded roads and barricades.