Rainfall courtesy of Hurricane Marie was pelting parts of Southern California on Sunday morning, flooding some coastal areas and creating dangerous surf and rip currents.
Flooding was reported at parking lots in Seal Beach and Zuma Beach, and was flowing into streets and homes in Long Beach, according to the National Weather Service.
The rain was expected to continue intermittently throughout Sunday.
A flood advisory was issued until at least 1 p.m. Sunday for parts of Los Angeles County, including the Franklin and Palisades burn scars.
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Sand berms are set up at the Seal Beach Pier on
Sunday, September 6, 202, as heavy rain pounds the area.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Sand berms are set up at the Seal Beach Pier on
Sunday, September 6, 202, as heavy rain pounds the area.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an ocean water quality rain advisory for all LA County beaches until at least 2 p.m. Wednesday. Beach users were cautioned to avoid water contact for at least 72 hours after rainfall.
The NWS said it has high confidence Marie will remain well offshore but will send a growing southerly swell and large waves toward the coast as the Labor Day weekend continues, particularly at south-facing beaches.
A high surf advisory and coastal flood advisory will be in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday for portions of the Los Angeles County and Orange County coasts.
Large breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet for south and southwestern-facing beaches and 4 to 7 feet for west-facing beaches are expected, with strong and dangerous rip and longshore currents.
Minor coastal flooding is also possible from a combination of high surf and high astronomical tides along vulnerable south-facing shores, with Avalon, Long Beach’s Alamitos Peninsula and Malibu among the areas of greatest concern.
“With huge crowds expected at the beaches for the Labor Day holiday, the emphasis for these statements is to alert the public to be extra careful in and near the ocean,” according to the NWS.
In Seal Beach, ocean water inundated parking lots near the Seal Beach Pier and got very close to beachfront properties on Saturday. Video on ABC7 showed a group of people pushing a vehicle to safety.
“This is crazy. I’ve lived here for 20+ years, and usually we get like 1- to 2-foot waves. But when we get the storm to come in here, it’s like, crazy. We’re just not used to that,” Seal Beach resident Clifford Scarborough told the ABC7 reporter.
Metrolink was performing emergency repair work along the rail line in San Clemente to secure and stabilize the track, according to the Orange County Transportation Agency. The rail line is experiencing stabilization issues caused by ongoing high tides and swell activity, and crews were using large boulders to help stabilize the track.
Along the coast in Orange and Los Angeles counties, officials are urging inexperienced swimmers to stay out of the water.
High tides will also increase through early next week and are expected to exceed 7 feet by Monday. The combination of elevated tides and the south swell will create a moderate risk of coastal flooding in some areas.
Despite the advisories, Orange County lifeguards reported limited flooding Sunday morning as the coast experienced low-tide conditions. Huntington Beach lifeguards said they were not seeing flooding and were not aware of impacts to homes or businesses. Newport Beach lifeguards said surf remained large Sunday morning, if not larger than the previous day.
Farther south, Orange County lifeguards said waves were moderate in size and flooding along county beaches were very limited. San Clemente lifeguards also reported large surf but said low tide was limiting flooding Sunday morning, with the higher tide later in the day potentially providing a greater chance for coastal flooding.
Marie is forecast to track northwest over the next several days while remaining well off the California coast.
Forecasters cautioned that roads could become especially slick with any wetting rain because of oils that have accumulated during the dry summer months.
There is also a 5% to 15% chance of thunderstorms, mainly in the Los Angeles County mountains and urban areas. Any stalled or repeatedly developing storms could produce more than a quarter-inch of rain in an hour, according to the weather service.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said her office will continue coordinating with the Emergency Management Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Public Works and other relevant city departments to ensure all personnel are ready to respond as needed.
Humidity will increase as Marie’s moisture reaches the region, with increased cloud cover expected through the weekend. Overnight temperatures could remain in the 70s along southern coastal areas and coastal valleys where clouds persist.
Forecasters said unsettled weather could linger into early next week as moisture from the remnants of Marie interacts with an unusually active jet stream over the region.
When the storm moves on, Southern California is in store for another heat wave, with temperatures soaring into the 90s in many areas beginning Monday and peaking Tuesday through Thursday with triple-digit highs in the warmer areas, before declining to more-average levels next weekend.
Staff writer Teresa Liu contributed to this report.