Coastal communities across Southern California are preparing for several days of unusually high tides that could flood roads and low-lying properties, erode beaches and disrupt passenger rail service.
The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood warning for the Orange County coast, urging residents to stay alert, be prepared and do what’s necessary to protect life and property. The warning begins Sunday morning and lasts through Thursday afternoon.
In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service issued coastal flood advisories for the beaches. Beach parking lots, bike paths and walkways could see flooding, with the highest tides expected Monday through Thursday, with a peak on Tuesday morning.
High tides could reach as much as 1½ feet above predicted levels. The greatest concern is during morning high tides, when water could move inland and erode vulnerable beaches.
In Newport Beach, the city predicts tides will reach at least 6 feet beginning Monday, and could rise above 8 feet. The National Weather Service warned that low-lying properties, including homes and businesses along the Orange County coast, will be inundated.
Earlier this month, flooding covered parts of the Balboa Peninsula.
“I’ve lived here 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Newport Beach resident Laura Hamilton said. “Down this street… There was just water all the way down.”
Hamilton said she is taking extensive precautions ahead of the next round of high tides.
“Everything… sandbags upon sandbags, just trying to make sure everything is cleared off my floor,” Hamilton said.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said crews have been working to reduce flood risks and protect people who may be in vulnerable areas.
“County public works teams and flood district teams have been clearing all the debris from all the gutters, clearing the flood channels, making sure that we don’t have people living in the flood channels. We don’t want anyone getting hurt,” Foley said.
Meanwhile in Long Beach, crews are rebuilding and reinforcing sand berms to help protect the coastline.
Dave Munyan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said several conditions are contributing to the elevated tides.
“From a multitude of factors — one being the warmer sea surface temperatures we’re seeing off the coast contributing to a thermal expansion of the water. A warmer body of water will be a little bit thicker. The other factor is, it’s been a media buzzword, kind of over the last several weeks and months, but Kelvin wave influences, kind of driven by the ongoing El Niño across the Pacific Ocean, kind of producing a slosh effect, which is kind of bolstering those background tides,” Munyan said.
Officials are urging residents to stay alert, watch for road closures and never drive around barricades or through floodwater.
The tides are also affecting rail travel. Metrolink plans to suspend Orange County Line service south of the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station from Monday through Friday, affecting service along the vulnerable coastal route toward San Clemente and Oceanside.
Metrolink said announcing the suspension in advance would give passengers time to make alternate plans.
“It also reduces cascading effects that happen to the rest of the Metrolink system north of Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo. It also provides greater flexibility for Amtrak and freight trains to navigate any weather-related restrictions or delays that will happen next week,” Metrolink public relations manager Brett Hawkins said.
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