Southern California girded for surging surf from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel on Sunday – feared to become the worst of several days that saw high tides, pounding waves and severe flooding – but for many coastal residents, the rainy morning brought a surprise.
“The (forecasts) were a little off,” Dave Kiff, Laguna Beach’s city manager, said. “Friday’s swell was larger than indicated, and yesterday’s was about the same – and this morning seems less.”
Laguna Beach Public Works crews worked late into Saturday night, scooping out sand from one side of Main Beach to build 15-foot-high sand berms along the surfline.
The towering mounds were meant to buffer raging
The towering mounds were meant to buffer raging waves and high tides that on Friday had rushed over the sand, across the boardwalk, and onto Coast Highway, snarling traffic and drawing a gaggle of onlookers.
Residents of Newport Beach and other cities around the region hit in recent days by enormous waves and Rachel’s proximity to Southern California were also relieved on Sunday.
But the Peninsula neighborhood in Long Beach was still taking a beating after several days of severe destruction, which included extreme flooding, damaged bulkheads, a mangled boardwalk, 13 homes red-tagged and several evacuations.
The red-tagged homes sustained more damage during high
The red-tagged homes sustained more damage during high tides on Saturday night and through Sunday morning, Long Beach city officials said. The new destruction was still being assessed in the afternoon. Some sea water also intruded into the streets, but city crews were on site with pumps and no major flooding problems arose, they said.
- Waves crash into homes overlooking Brooks Street Beach in Laguna on Sunday, October 11, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Waves crash into homes overlooking Brooks Street Beach in Laguna on Sunday, October 11, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The crews also continued to build sand berms along 62nd Place, and some Public Works employees were shoveling sand out of the street on 63rd Place. There was heavy a police presence.
On 66th Place, residents put up handmade signs telling lookie-loos to stay away.
If you don’t live on this block, please
“If you don’t live on this block, please don’t cross the police line,” one sign said. “We get you want to see what’s happening, but it’s happening to us and it sucks.”
James Valles lives along 63rd Place on the Peninsula in one of the homes where the residents were asked to evacuate.
“I think they (the city) have done a good job, but there’s a lot of neighbors that are very angry,” he said. “But the response was huge — police, fire, city workers — and they’ve been here every low tide and high tide.”
A local emergency order may be the reason
A local emergency order may be the reason the city was more prepared this time around, he said, compared to during Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend.
“I feel really bad for the people that are losing their home,” Valles said. “The damage. It’s hard to see that … And the boardwalk destroyed. I mean, I’ve walked on that boardwalk so many times. It’s really been kind of a sobering experience.”
The moisture churned up by Rachel also brought some heavy rain and problems to the Inland Empire early Sunday. Crews had to rescue someone from a raging storm drain near Winchester, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, and Forest Falls saw mudslides.
On Sunday, as forecasters predicted heavy rain potentially
On Sunday, as forecasters predicted heavy rain potentially accompanying dangerous 8-foot-high tides, Laguna Beach city officials worried that Laguna Creek, which fills with runoff from inland communities in Orange and Riverside counties, might swell over and join up with the incoming tide, creating a perfect storm that could flood much of the low-lying downtown area.
Shopkeepers along Forest Avenue and the promenade put up flood gates, while dozens of onlookers gathered on the boardwalk at Main Beach to watch for the potential havoc. But the newly built berms held strong after the 9:45 a.m. high tide, while a contracted sand-scooper from the city kept digging near the creek mouth to keep a clear passage to the ocean.
In Newport Beach, officials kept the city’s piers and The Wedge off limits to the public after powerful swells and high tides flooded streets on the Balboa Peninsula in recent days.
Newport Beach City Manager Seimone Jurjis reported no
Newport Beach City Manager Seimone Jurjis reported no issues from Saturday night into Sunday. Precautions taken over the weekend included building berms along nearly the city’s entire coastline.
“The Wedge and pier precautions will remain in place through tomorrow, and we’ll reassess them Tuesday,” he said. “The berms will stay in place and be reinforced as needed. Our crews and contractors remain ready.”
In San Clemente, City Manager Andy Hall said Sunday that the beach town fared well, with flooding only at the underpass beach access points.
We have been extremely fortunate so far this
“We have been extremely fortunate so far this storm season,” he said. “But we’re beginning to see the impact of the continuous storms.”
The City Council recently approved placement of sand and other storm-related improvements within an emergency proclamation approved at the last council meeting.
“All in all, we are keeping our fingers crossed, and we feel we’ve been lucky so far,” Hall said.
National Weather Service forecasters have downgraded Rachel
National Weather Service forecasters have downgraded Rachel from tropical storm status and said skies are expected to gradually clear by Tuesday, with partly cloudy to mostly sunny conditions.
Sunday’s high tide should be the worst of it for Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service. Moderate coastal flooding will likely continue during the next few days due to high tides. A significant warmup is expected later in the week, with temperatures hitting the mid-90s.
In Orange County, highs are expected to rebound slightly into the low-to-mid 70s on Tuesday and climb toward 89 degrees by Wednesday as a ridge begins to build, forecasters said.
Back in Laguna Beach, some residents were checking
Back in Laguna Beach, some residents were checking out the vulnerable beach spots on Sunday.
“We love the waves, and we wanted to see what was happening,” Heather Marlow said, standing on the Main Beach boardwalk over the Laguna Channel. “Last time it was like this was in the late 1990’s, when the pier at Aliso went down.”
She was happy to see the berms after the area completely flooded on Thursday.
“There was no creek, and it was just all flooded to Coast Highway,” she said. “The water was just going everywhere.”
