California coast hit with monster tides, flooding streets as forecast calls for even more chaos
Monster tides flooded Southern California’s coastline Tuesday, swamping waterfront neighborhoods and shutting down stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway.The coastal chaos is expected to continue through Thursday, with forecasters warning that unusually high morning tides could bring more flooding to vulnerable beach communities.In Orange County, flooding forced the closure of both directions of PCH between Warner Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard Tuesday morning, according to Caltrans.Northbound lanes were also closed between Seapoint Street and Warner Avenue.As water continued to spill onto the roadway even after the tide began to recede, PCH was ultimately shut down in both directions between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.Newport Beach was also bracing for the rising water, with officials activating pumps and building sand berms to protect vulnerable neighborhoods, particularly along the Balboa Peninsula.The waterway beneath the Newport Boulevard Bridge was closed from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday to prevent boat wakes from sending more water into nearby properties during the morning high tide.The tide reached a record-setting 8.4 feet at 10 a.m., forecasters said.Boaters throughout Newport Harbor were urged to slow down and exercise caution near low-lying waterfront areas.The waterway beneath the bridge is scheduled to close again Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m.The flooding comes as tides along the Southland coast continue to approach historic levels.A tide gauge in San Pedro reached 8.02 feet Monday, breaking the previous record of 7.93 feet set Jan.
10, 2005, according to the National Weather Service.Records at the gauge date back to November 1923.Tides could remain near record levels through Wednesday, forecasters warned.Newport Beach officials have also suspended parking enforcement through Wednesday evening to give residents time to move vehicles out of flood-prone areas.A coastal flood warning remained in effect for the Orange County coastline through 1 p.m...