Seal Beach, Los Alamitos Residents Prepare For Heavy Rain, Wind & Flooding Tuesday

SEAL BEACH, CA —A major winter storm is heading to the Southland Monday night, bringing rainfall and snow in elevated areas. Orange County is under both a wind advisory and a flash flood watch much of Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.

The strong storm system was expected to soak much of Southern California with rain and coat mountaintops with snow Monday and Tuesday. Coastal areas and the valleys could get up to 3 inches of rain during the storm, while mountains and foothills could see up to 5 inches.

"The City of Seal Beach Marine Safety Department, Public Works Department and Police Department will be monitoring conditions throughout the winter season and will respond appropriately as issues arise," said Seal Beach Police spokesman Lt. Nick Nicholas. "Residents are encouraged to monitor the surf and weather conditions and take steps to protect themselves and their property."

On Tuesday, much of Orange County will be under a wind advisory from 4 a.m. to midnight and a flash flood watch is in effect from 6 a.m. through 9 p.m.

Seal Beach residents can expect between 1 to 1.5 inches of rain to fall, along with 25 miles per hour sustained winds. Gusts of up to 45 miles per hour are expected, according to the NWS.

The majority of the rain will arrive before 10 a.m. along the coast, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of rain and thunderstorms after 4 p.m.

Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall, the NWS reported.

The Orange County Health Care Agency has opened the cold weather shelters for those 18 and up in need of getting out of the extreme cold and weather, they reported Monday.

The #OC Cold Weather Shelter will be activated for 24 hours Tuesday, December 14, 2021 due to the forecast of inclement weather. For more information please call (213) 220-5636. @voalaca pic.twitter.com/WbpmYcchcx
— OC Health Care Agency (@ochealth) December 13, 2021

There is no time like the present to review your emergency plans and prepare your home for inclement weather.

• Make sure you are connected to AlertOC and Nixle.
• Clean your gutters and trim back your trees.
• Plan for power outages, and have a 72-hour emergency kit.
• Have an evacuation plan with your family, and be sure phone numbers are written down.
• Make a family emergency plan, in case you are not together.
• Plan for flooding with the use of sandbags and/or flood gates, as are used in Laguna Beach.

Here is a detailed forecast from the National Weather Service for Orange County towns.

In Seal Beach, find sand and sandbags available for your use at several locations, complimentary for residents. The sandbag locations are;

* Eighth Street Beach Parking Lot
* Fire Station 44 – 8th Street and Central Avenue
* Fire Station 48 - 3131 Northgate Road (at the 405 freeway)
* Arbor Park - 4665 Lampson Avenue
* Marina Park – First Street and Marina Avenue

Find Sandbags through Orange County Fire Authority stations:

• Cypress Fire Station 17 4991 Cerritos Avenue
• Garden GroveFire Station 82 11805 Gilbert Street
• Garden GroveFire Station 83 12132 Trask Avenue
• Garden GroveFire Station 84 12191 Valley View Street
• IrvineFire Station 36301 E. Yale Loop
• Laguna NiguelFire Station 49 31461 Street of the Golden Lantern
• Laguna Woods/Laguna HillsFire Station 22 24001 Paseo de Valencia
• Modjeska CanyonFire Station 1628891 Modjeska Canyon Rd
• Rancho Mission Viejo Fire Station 56 56 Sendero Way
• Santa Ana Fire Station 79 1320 East Warner Ave
• Seal Beach Fire Station 48 3131 North Gate Rd
• Silverado Fire Station 1429402 Silverado Canyon Road
• Silverado Fire Station 15 27172 Silverado Canyon Road
• Trabuco Fire Station 18 30942 Trabuco Canyon Road
• Tustin Fire Station 21 1241 Irvine Blvd.
• Villa Park Fire Station 23 5020 Santiago Canyon Rd
• Yorba Linda Fire Station 53 25415 East La Palma

Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovel, and crews may or may not be present to assist in filling sandbags, an OCFA spokesperson says.

Limited supply based on demand and availability.