Tropical Storm Rachel never made landfall — it didn’t need to. The storm’s powerful swells, colliding with unusually high king tides, are battering the Southern California coast, shredding Long Beach’s boardwalk, damaging homes, flooding streets and forcing evacuations — and officials warn the worst may still be coming on Sunday.
Long Beach has issued a mandatory evacuation order for homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th Place — the 6400 and 6500 blocks — effective from 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, through noon on Tuesday, Oct. 13, though officials say the return date could change as conditions evolve, according to the New York Post. City personnel are going door-to-door in the affected area, and Alert Long Beach messages have been sent to Peninsula residents.
Tropical Storm Rachel Damage: Long Beach Homes Red-Tagged
The damage along the Long Beach Peninsula is severe. Powerful waves from former Hurricane Rachel tore apart sections of the boardwalk on Friday morning, leaving chunks of shattered wood floating out to sea as the high tide hit shortly after 9 a.m., according to Signal Post News. One beachfront home was left on the verge of collapsing into the Pacific.
At least eight buildings, including some condos and apartments, have been red-tagged as unsafe, with another property yellow-tagged. More than 30 feet of the city’s protective bulkhead was significantly damaged, and floodwater swamped nearby streets and patios while erosion kept chewing at the foundations of beachfront homes.
“This is easily the most damage I have seen over the past couple of weeks,” KTLA’s Rich Prickett said from the station’s helicopter, which captured the shattered boardwalk floating into the ocean.
Long Beach residents described conditions they had never seen. “This is really, truly unique,” resident Bon Senske told reporters. “We don’t know what to expect. We’re in uncharted territory here.” Longtime locals said earlier flooding was different: “This is worse because there was a beach back then. It was called Long Beach, not no beach,” another resident said.
Newport Beach Closes All Beaches as Tropical Storm Rachel Floods Streets
Newport Beach has closed all of its beaches and declared an emergency as Tropical Storm Rachel’s swells flooded streets on the Balboa Peninsula. Crews filled an exposed section of the coastline with roughly 1,000 sandbags and deployed a construction crane Saturday to reinforce the damaged bulkhead.
City officials had already identified the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island, Newport Island and other low-lying harborfront neighborhoods as especially vulnerable to flooding during unusually high tides. Despite berms, sandbags and protective infrastructure built up over recent months, Friday’s flooding overwhelmed those defenses.
The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory for Orange County beaches through Tuesday, with the expected storm surge reaching about 7 feet on Monday. “The most likely areas for damaging coastal flooding on Sunday morning will be vulnerable south-facing beaches,” forecasters said, highlighting Long Beach and Malibu as areas of particular concern.
Third Storm in Six Weeks: Rachel Follows Marie and Polo
What makes Tropical Storm Rachel especially punishing is what came before it. Rachel is the third tropical system to batter the California coast in six weeks — following Hurricane Marie over Labor Day and Hurricane Polo — and years of erosion have left coastal areas with almost no beach buffer between the ocean and roadways.
“It is not normal that we see this type of activity,” a Long Beach official said. “Just in this season, this marks the third hurricane in just six weeks. We saw Hurricane Marie over Labor Day, which was followed soon by Hurricane Polo, and now Rachel is bringing with it more high tides, more surf, erosion that continues to cause damage to properties and damage along our coastline.”
Rain from Rachel is also forecast, with the greatest coastal flood risk expected around Sunday, when stronger swells and peak tides combine. The National Weather Service warned that “damaging sea-water coastal flooding is likely through Sunday, especially near the Sunday morning high tide where anticipated tide levels are expected to be around 8 feet.”
How Officials Are Responding to Tropical Storm Rachel
Long Beach has distributed 7,600 sandbags to residents preparing for Rachel, bringing the city’s total handed out during the three recent storms to roughly 15,000. Crews planned to reinforce the city’s protective wall during low tide, clear storm drains to help floodwater flow out, and inspect power lines in the affected area.
Officials are assessing whether the evacuation zone on the Long Beach Peninsula needs to expand beyond the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk. Residents in vulnerable areas are being urged to stay clear of flooded zones, heed all local warnings through Tuesday, and avoid the shoreline during high tide.
The Pacific has been unusually active this season — Hawaii also faced a major hurricane threat recently, which we covered as Hurricane Nolo approached the islands. As with that storm, conditions with Rachel can change quickly; residents should follow official guidance from their city and the National Weather Service.
Tropical Storm Rachel: Frequently Asked Questions
Which areas are under evacuation orders from Tropical Storm Rachel?
Long Beach issued a mandatory evacuation for homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th Place (the 6400 and 6500 blocks), effective 7 p.m. Oct. 9 through noon Oct. 13, subject to change based on conditions.
How bad is the flooding expected to get?
The National Weather Service says the greatest danger is around Sunday’s high tides (expected near 8 feet), with a storm surge of about 7 feet possible Monday. A coastal flood advisory runs through Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Did Tropical Storm Rachel make landfall?
No. Rachel was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm early Thursday and never made landfall — but its swells combined with king tides to cause the damage.
Is Newport Beach open?
No — Newport Beach has closed all beaches and declared an emergency as flooding hit the Balboa Peninsula and other low-lying areas.
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