A Newport Beach, Calif., man sits on his bike at the flooded Balboa Peninsula pier parking lot during a previous high tide event in 2011.
A Newport Beach, Calif., man sits on his bike at the flooded Balboa Peninsula pier parking lot during a previous high tide event in 2011.
The coastal Orange County city of Newport Beach issued a warning to residents and travelers to avoid the Balboa Peninsula as rising floodwaters filled the streets. The city’s famous peninsula, which stretches from just south of Pacific Coast Highway out to the mouth of Newport Harbor, has already been hit hard by a summer of coastal erosion and high surf, and now is preparing for what could be a very wet weekend.
The city of Newport Beach, home to the most expensive ZIP code in America, issued a travel warning on social media Friday morning, telling “residents and motorists to avoid the Balboa Peninsula due to street flooding caused by recent storm conditions and elevated tides.”
“Do not drive through flooded streets. Use alternate routes, exercise caution and follow directions from public safety personnel,” the post continued, adding: “Please avoid unnecessary travel in the area until conditions improve.”
Other social media videos from Friday morning appeared to show vehicles pushing through several inches of water along the peninsula’s main street, Balboa Boulevard. Another video, pinned to a location near the Wedge, Newport’s famous surf spot, appeared to show fast-moving water rushing into the front yards of beachside homes.
The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory for Orange County, which runs until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The advisory notes “dangerous rip currents” as a beach hazard, adding, “High tides are expected to peak between 6.5 and 7.0 feet during the mornings and evenings.” Rain is also expected to reach Newport Beach starting on Saturday night and lasting through Monday night or early Tuesday, potentially exacerbating the low-lying peninsula’s flooding problems.
Like much of coastal Southern California, Newport Beach has been forced to act swiftly to mitigate issues stemming from rising ocean tides this summer, and to prepare for what is expected to be a generationally strong El Niño winter. That includes sand replenishment, creating large beach berms to ward off waves and working to keep flood channels clear for the seemingly inevitable winter water onslaught.
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