The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued flood alerts for Southern California's coastal areas through Thursday, putting low-lying roads, homes and infrastructure at risk during unusually high tides.
A coastal flood warning covering coastal areas of San Diego and Orange counties remains in effect until 4 p.m. ET Thursday (1 p.m. PDT). The NWS San Diego office said high tides are expected in the late mornings and observed levels have been 1.5 to 1.7 feet above astronomical predictions. The warning cites possible road closures, flooding and shoreline erosion.
The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard office issued an advisory for coastal areas of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It forecasts tides of 7.5 to 8 feet, about 1 to 1.5 feet above astronomical projections, with the highest levels Monday through Wednesday. Minor to moderate flooding may affect exposed beaches, parking lots, bike paths and harbor walkways. The advisory ends at 4 p.m. ET Thursday (1 p.m. PDT); larger surf could prompt separate coastal flood warnings Wednesday through Thursday.
Newport Beach declared a local emergency ahead of the Oct. 26-28 high tides and activated its Emergency Operations Center. The City Council approved a beach replenishment contract involving about 100,000 cubic yards of sand, to be transported from the Santa Ana River mouth to eroded beaches between 36th and 62nd streets.
The city said recent ocean levels were approximately 18 to 22 inches above predicted astronomical tides and that El Niño could contribute to elevated levels in the months ahead. EconoTimes previously examined how the Kelvin wave raised Southern California's flood risk.
The NWS San Diego office advised residents to secure property in flood-prone areas, stay away from the ocean during high tides and heed road barriers rather than enter water of unknown depth.
