San Pedro tide gauge breaks 2005 record as SoCal coast floods

The San Pedro tide gauge recorded a water level of 8.02 feet on Monday morning, surpassing the previous record of 7.93 feet set in January 2005.

High tides inundated communities across Southern California on Monday, flooding streets from Newport Beach to Long Beach. In Newport Harbor, water surged onto the Balboa Peninsula and flooded some businesses in the Balboa Fun Zone. Residents in Long Beach reported flooding along Bayshore Beach, Naples, and the Peninsula.

City officials in both locations had prepared for the surge by moving sand to shore up beaches and installing sandbags. Georgia Rios, a spokesperson for Newport Beach, stated that the city distributed about 25,000 sandbags over the weekend. She credited residents for grabbing the bags and protecting their homes, which she said helped prevent immense flooding damage.

Crews in Newport Beach worked Monday to pump out knee-high water and reinforce sandbags along the harbor side. Despite the surge, officials reported no significant widespread damage. The seawater level in Newport Beach reached 8.3 feet on Monday, a figure nearly two feet higher than what the high tide alone would produce.

Water levels were also exceptionally high in San Diego County. In La Jolla, officials recorded the sea level at 7.75 feet on Monday. Chandler Price, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, noted this was close to the station record of 7.81 feet set on Nov. 25, 2015. The weather service expects higher tides on Tuesday, which could break that record.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Orange and San Diego counties through Thursday afternoon. An advisory covers Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The service warned that low-lying property, including homes and businesses, will be inundated and some shoreline erosion will occur.

Projected seawater levels at Los Angeles Harbor could hit 8.1 feet on Tuesday and 8 feet on Wednesday. In Newport Beach, potential seawater levels could reach 8.5 feet on Tuesday at 9:50 a.m. and Wednesday at 10:28 a.m. These levels are driven by a combination of an active eastern Pacific hurricane season fueled by El Niño, a marine heat wave, and a rare astronomical alignment.

Scientists say record-hot ocean temperatures are causing seawater levels to be 1.25 to 1.8 feet higher than moon and sun movements alone. Surface temperatures at Scripps Pier in La Jolla reached around 73 degrees on Thursday, well above the seasonal average of 66.