PCH Shut in Huntington Beach as Record Tides Flood Pockets of Orange and Los Angeles Counties

Another day of extreme high tides sent seawater into homes, shops and streets along the Southern California coast on Tuesday. Affected spots included a well-known Newport Beach house, businesses on Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach and homes on Naples Island in Long Beach.

Tuesday morning's tide was expected to be the highest of the week, though advisories remain in effect through Thursday. City crews had spent previous days patching weak points in coastal defenses, and residents stacked more sandbags, but water still got through in several places.

In Huntington Beach, Pacific Coast Highway was closed between Warner Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard on Tuesday morning. The city had decided Monday to shut the road, where flooding had already occurred, so crews and first responders could move more easily. The closure was extended farther as water poured in. Officials said the highway will close again Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. between Warner Avenue and Anderson Street. Water was knee-high at Pacific Coast Highway and 11th Street, and streets around Huntington Harbor, including Admiralty Island, also flooded. Connie McWhinney, 58, who has lived there since she was three, said she had never seen anything like it.

Newport Beach recorded a record tide of 8.4 feet, a level last seen in the 1920s, city spokesperson Georgia Rios said. The normal peak was forecast at 6.6 feet around 9:45 a.m. The city briefly closed the waterway beneath the Newport Boulevard Bridge to prevent boat wakes from worsening flooding, and plans to do so again Wednesday morning. Parking enforcement is suspended through 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, so residents can move vehicles to higher ground. The ground floor of the Pirate House, a landmark known for its eclectic decorations, flooded, and resident Sandy Gold said she felt bad for its owner.

Newport Beach Utilities Director Mark Vukojevic said water levels were running about 20 inches above forecasts, far more than the roughly one foot seen in past years. He called it very abnormal, but said Tuesday that preparation had paid off. He noted the city cannot sandbag private property and urged absent homeowners to enlist help. Longtime resident Emmett Comrecode said his sandbags and pump could not keep up, and seawater covered his ground floor.

In Long Beach, the city closed 54th Place near Bayshore Beach and kept building sand berms. On Naples Island, water seeped through cracks in a canal seawall, and residents used portable sump pumps. Lifelong resident Michelle Shea said she is less worried about this week than about predictions for November and December, and said neighbors have asked the city for years to address the seawall. The Marine Stadium area also saw flooding, as did the International Boardwalk at the Redondo Beach Pier despite sandbags. San Pedro set an all-time record Monday at 8.02 feet, topping the 7.93 feet recorded in January 2005.

At J King Neptunes in Sunset Beach, owner Sal Alvarez said water seeped inside, though nothing appeared damaged, and that this was the worst flooding in his family's 25 years of ownership. He planned to open at 3 p.m. as usual.

Farther south, conditions were calmer. Officials in San Clemente and Laguna Beach reported no major problems, helped by little swell. Dana Point Mayor John Gabbard said homes there were in no greater danger, but he voiced concern about rain forecast for Halloween and the chance of another atmospheric river before Thanksgiving.