Tides Break Records and Flood Streets Across Southern California Coast

Drivers and residents in Newport Beach and Long Beach watched water surge onto their streets on Monday morning as high tides peaked. The surge inundated the Balboa Peninsula, flooding businesses in the Balboa Fun Zone and reaching knee-high levels on harbor-side roads. In Long Beach, residents reported standing water along Bayshore Beach, Naples, and the Peninsula. These conditions marked the start of a multi-day event where near-record sea levels are expected to persist through the week.

City crews spent the weekend preparing for the incoming water. Workers moved sand to reinforce beaches and installed barriers in areas that had suffered damage in recent months. Officials urged residents in flood-prone zones to move vehicles to higher ground and protect property with sandbags. Georgia Rios, a spokesperson for Newport Beach, stated that the community heeded these warnings. She noted that approximately 25,000 sandbags were distributed over the weekend, which she credited for limiting widespread structural damage despite the high water levels.

The water levels exceeded previous benchmarks in several locations. The San Pedro tide gauge recorded a peak of 8.02 feet on Monday morning, surpassing the previous record of 7.93 feet set in January 2005. In La Jolla, officials recorded sea levels at 7.75 feet, just below the station record of 7.81 feet set in November 2015. Chandler Price, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego, indicated that higher tides are forecast for Tuesday, which could break that local record.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Orange and San Diego counties through Thursday afternoon. A coastal flood advisory was issued for Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The service warned that low-lying property, including homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure, will be inundated. Shoreline erosion is also expected during the morning hours. In Los Angeles, projected seawater levels could reach 8.1 feet on Tuesday and 8 feet on Wednesday, surpassing the harbor record of 7.92 feet set in 2005.

Scientists attribute the extreme water levels to a combination of factors. El Niño conditions fueled an active hurricane season in the eastern Pacific, while a marine heat wave warmed the ocean surface. A rare astronomical alignment occurs simultaneously, which happens only once every 20 years. Record-hot ocean temperatures are causing seawater levels to sit 1.25 to 1.8 feet higher than what would be expected from astronomical tides alone.

Surface temperature readings at Scripps Pier in La Jolla reached 77 degrees in early August, well above the average maximum of 70. As of Thursday, temperatures were around 73 degrees, compared to the average of 66 for this time of year. The weather service warned that even higher tides are expected around the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day holidays. These upcoming king tides align with peaks in the 18.6-year lunar node tidal cycle and the 4.4-year lunar perigee tidal cycle, which Reinhard Flick, a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said will produce some of the highest tides of the year.

Total water levels in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties could exceed 8 feet above the baseline this week. The baseline is defined as the average daily lowest water level observed between 1983 and 2001. In Newport Beach, potential seawater levels could reach 8.5 feet on Tuesday at 9:50 a.m. and Wednesday at 10:28 a.m. Scientists warn that if major storms emerge during these high tide windows, the risk of coastal flooding will increase further.