Tropical Storm Rachel Floods Newport Beach and Damages Long Beach Homes

Powerful waves from Tropical Storm Rachel flooded Southern California coastal communities on Friday, damaging homes in Long Beach and forcing Newport Beach to declare an emergency as the storm moved toward the California-Mexico border with more rain and surf expected. According to the National Hurricane Center, Rachel was about 800 miles southwest of San Diego while producing dangerous coastal conditions. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving northeast at about 5 mph late Friday morning.

Newport Beach experienced the most severe flooding along the Balboa Peninsula, where seawater crossed sand barriers, surrounded vehicles and reached residential areas several blocks inland. According to the Orange County Register, city crews worked to remove water and rebuild damaged sand barriers.

Newport Beach Utilities Director Mark Vukojevic told ABC7 that flooding affected an estimated 15 to 20 blocks. He said the morning tide rose 20 inches higher than the predicted tide value, which he described as unprecedented.

The city declared a local emergency Friday afternoon as officials sought additional resources. Newport Beach spokesperson Georgia Rios told the Orange County Register that about 40 to 50 city employees were operating pumps, removing water and restoring sand barriers. Police restricted access to some flooded neighborhoods, while officials advised drivers to avoid the Balboa Peninsula. The full extent of damage to homes was still unclear Friday afternoon.

In Long Beach, waves damaged coastal protections along the Peninsula and affected several buildings near Seaside Walk. According to the Long Beach Post, inspectors declared two buildings containing three residential units unsafe to enter and placed another building under restricted occupancy. Two additional buildings had already received occupancy restrictions after damage from Hurricane Marie in September, bringing the total number of affected Peninsula structures to five. City crews used about 1,000 sandbags to reinforce damaged barriers and pumped water from nearby streets.

The damage followed months of beach erosion that reduced natural protection along parts of the coastline. Long Beach officials had been planning a major sand replenishment project before Rachel caused additional shoreline damage. The National Weather Service warned that coastal flooding could worsen Sunday as high tides combine with strong surf and Rachel's approach.

The agency also issued a tropical storm watch for San Diego County, marking only the second such watch issued for California. The Long Beach Marathon remained scheduled for Sunday morning, with a 5K planned for Saturday, while organizers continued monitoring coastal conditions. The city's coastal flood advisory was set to remain in effect until 2 p.m.

Tuesday.