Storm remnants sweep across West Coast

The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, along with a separate storm system over the Western United States, continued to sweep across the West on Sunday, fueling flooding in several Southern California coastal communities.

Rachel made landfall Saturday night

Post-Tropical Storm Rachel made landfall in Baja California Saturday night. Its impact was already being felt along the West Coast as it moved in.

Ocean swells and Kelvin wave combine

Large ocean swells stirred up by Rachel combined with prolonged swells from an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave produced major flooding along Southern California's coast.

Newport Beach hit hardest since Friday

Newport Beach in Orange County has been experiencing flooding since Friday. Main drags like Balboa Boulevard and numerous adjacent streets have been drenched in floodwaters.

City declares local emergency Saturday

The City of Newport Beach declared a local emergency on Saturday in response to the flooding. Elevated surf and unusually high ocean water levels are expected to continue through the weekend.

“unusually high ocean water levels”

All Newport Beach beaches and piers closed

All of the city beaches and piers in Newport Beach are closed until further notice. The city advised residents to stay away from these areas due to flooding and hazardous conditions.

“Stay away from these areas. Flooding and hazardous conditions pose serious safety risks.”

Coastal flood warning issued through Tuesday

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Orange County beaches starting at three pm on Sunday and continuing through Tuesday afternoon, warning of significant flooding and beach erosion.

Other cities prepare with sandbags

Other cities along the Southern California coast including Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and San Clemente were distributing sandbags to the public on Sunday in preparation for possible flooding.