HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Residents across coastal Orange County and the surrounding region are bracing for a catastrophic surge in floodwaters as a persistent coastal flooding advisory remains in effect through Thursday. After days of record-breaking tide levels that have turned streets into canals and left homes submerged, the National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that conditions are expected to deteriorate further on Tuesday.
In Sunset Beach and Huntington Beach, long-time residents described the scene as unprecedented. Aerial footage captured on Monday revealed a grim reality: families wading through knee-deep water, frantically working to push floodwaters out of saturated garages and living rooms. Properties along Bayview Drive have been hit particularly hard, with floodwaters infiltrating residential structures, while sections of the iconic Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) have been rendered impassable.
Local authorities have shuttered portions of the PCH in Huntington Beach between Warner Avenue and Anderson Street, with the closure expected to remain in place until at least noon Tuesday as a safety precaution. Officials are urging motorists to avoid the area entirely, warning that attempting to navigate through deep water poses a severe risk to both drivers and emergency responders.
The danger is far from over. The NWS projects that peak tides between 9:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday could climb as high as 8 feet. A coastal flood advisory remains active until 1 p.m. Thursday for Los Angeles and Ventura County beaches, including the Malibu coastline, with meteorologists predicting minor to moderate flooding in most low-lying coastal zones.
The impact has extended well beyond Huntington Beach. In Long Beach, the surging waters of Alamitos Bay spilled over, inundating 54th Street and flowing directly into local businesses and residential parking structures. Annie Koury, who has lived in the area for over three decades, expressed deep frustration with the city’s response, stating she has never witnessed such significant flooding in the history of the peninsula.
“I’m not very happy,” Koury said. “We know there’s a lot going on, but the city seems to have their hands tied. Now, it’s finally come to their attention.”
In an effort to mitigate the damage, the city has initiated a major dredging project on the peninsula, pumping sand from the channel back onto the shoreline. While the effort has already begun to restore sections of the beach lost during three consecutive storms, the immediate threat to property remains high.
For residents still in the path of the rising tide, free sandbags remain available at various municipal locations. Officials are pleading with homeowners to prioritize safety over property, urging those in low-lying areas to remain vigilant and avoid taking chances as the peak tide cycle approaches.
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