Rachel Hasn't Even Arrived, and It's Already Flooding Newport Beach Streets

Tropical Storm Rachel was still roughly 800 miles southwest of San Diego on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center, but Southern California's coast was already taking a beating.

Seawater pushed over sand berms on Newport Beach's Balboa Peninsula, flooding streets, stranding cars and reaching homes several blocks from the beach, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. NBC Los Angeles said water covered roughly 10 blocks and was knee-deep in places. ABC7 crews filmed paddleboarders floating down residential streets.

A tide nobody predicted

Newport Beach utilities director Mark Vukojevic told ABC7 the flooding spread across an estimated 15 to 20 blocks and that the tide came in about 20 inches higher than predicted, which he called unprecedented. Swells from the storm, already-elevated ocean levels and months of beach erosion combined to push water farther inland than usual.

The city declared a local emergency Friday so it can tap additional resources. Crews rebuilt sand berms, ran pumps and opened tide valves, and the city urged people to stay off the peninsula and never drive through standing water. No injuries were reported, the Los Angeles Times said.

Long Beach homes red-tagged

Flooding also hit Long Beach and Huntington Beach. Citing the Long Beach Post, the Chronicle reported that inspectors red-tagged two buildings with three residential units on Seaside Walk as unsafe to enter and yellow-tagged another.

The worst may be Sunday

Forecasters expect a stronger southerly swell from Rachel on Sunday. NBC Los Angeles reported that Orange County surf could reach 6 to 9 feet, with morning high tides near 7 feet creating the biggest flood threat. A coastal flood warning covers Los Angeles and Orange county beaches through Sunday afternoon, and a coastal flood advisory runs until 2 p.m. Tuesday. If the storm stays on track, the Times said, San Diego County will feel the brunt of Rachel's wind and rain Sunday morning, with Orange and Los Angeles counties still expecting widespread rain.

What it means up here

The Bay Area isn't in Rachel's path, but it's another reminder of how fast high tides and big swells can overwhelm low-lying shorelines, something Bay Area coastal cities are already preparing for as forecasters warn of a possibly strong El Niño winter. Anyone with plans on the Southern California coast this weekend should check local alerts before going.