Big waves combined with king tides could spell disaster this weekend.
Officials and residents in low-lying beach areas could see salt water flooding into streets and homes, especially as a recent run of strong swells has chomped away at beaches, which serve as a barrier between the ocean and infrastructure.
The city of Newport Beach issued an advisory on Friday, June 12, warning residents to prepare for a series of high tides, called king tides, expected on Saturday, June 13, through Tuesday, June 16, in the evening hours.
Areas most susceptible to flooding include: Newport Island, Balboa Island, Finley Tract, Lido Village, Balboa Village, LaFayette Avenue, the Peninsula and portions of the Marcus, River and Lake avenues area.
“Our crews are prepared and will be working throughout the weekend to monitor conditions and respond to localized flooding caused by the king tides,” said Mark Vukojevic, utilities director for the city. “We have deployed pumps in historically affected areas and taken proactive measures to help protect neighborhoods and keep roadways accessible, including installing gap boards on Balboa Island and placing sandbags in vulnerable areas. We have also been in contact with property owners in areas that typically experience ponding or have lower seawalls, encouraging them to take additional precautions to help protect their homes and property.”
Residents with properties adjacent to Newport Harbor should take precautions, officials warned, including installing seawall plugs and placing sandbags in vulnerable areas. Localized street ponding is expected, officials said.
Motorists are urged to drive slowly through flooded areas to avoid creating wakes that can worsen flooding and impact nearby properties, officials asked. Residents and visitors are advised to avoid parking in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding during high tides or rain events.
While waves won’t be as massive as seen earlier this week, surf will still be in the 6- to 8-foot range next week. At the Wedge, they are expected to be even larger. Earlier this week, big surf surged near beachfront homes, but they were guarded by a sand berm built by the city.
Tides will be reaching 6.9 feet at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday night, 7.0 feet at 9 p.m. on Sunday and about 7 feet 9:50 p.m. Monday evening.
Newport Beach has been hit hard with flooding in recent years. In 2020, a mega swell combined with high tides on the Fourth of July, sea water flooding into the Balboa Peninsula neighborhoods and parking lots, trapping people for hours on the flooded roads as they tried to leave the area following the festivities.
@surflick/ Brandon Yamawaki)
The area near the Fun Zone in Newport Beach and in Sunset Beach in Huntington flooded within days of each other in the summer of 2023.
Other areas of the coastline have already suffered flooding this week, including Aliso Beach in south Laguna Beach, where a beach parking lot was closed as big surf surged into the parking lot.
Capistrano Beach in Dana Point and South Doheny Beach have also experienced erosion in recent days with the big swells, sand pushing up onto a popular trail connecting the two beaches and into parking lots.
Riley Pratt, environmental scientist for State Parks, said while tides will be high, the swell will not be as high as last week, so there isn’t as big of a concern for flooding at the state beaches.
“We haven’t had flooding in the campgrounds,” he said.
The king tides could also impact areas of Long Beach and Los Angeles County beaches, though officials in the LA area said flooding isn’t expected to be as significant as “down south,” with maybe some overflowing of seawater onto some walking paths in the harbor area.
A marine heat wave that has been warming waters off Southern California has added another layer to the equation, according to experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When warm, water expands, meaning the water levels could get even higher than normal during extreme high tides and big swells.
Newport Beach residents can pick up prefilled sandbags at the City Corporation Yard, 592 Superior Ave. Sandbags are also available for filling at all Newport Beach Fire Stations.