Flooding In Orange County Prompts Closures, Swamped Streets During King Tides

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Coastal Orange County residents woke up to slick or flooded streets as a result of high-impact king tides, which forced the water levels up by eight feet in some towns Monday.

In Newport Beach, water gauges on Monday at the peak high tide at 9:15 a.m. reached a little over eight feet, nearly two feet higher than the astronomically predicted high tide of 6.6 feet, according to The Orange County Register.

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Ocean water filled the streets Monday morning and got into many Newport Beach businesses, KTLA reported.

Owners and city crews could be seen scrambling to pump and sweep out the mess, while residents could be seen wading through the flooded areas to survey the scene, according to KTLA.

Across Orange County, some beach cities struggled with the same conditions.

Waters spilled over the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Monday morning, prompting Caltrans to close both northbound lanes of Coast Highway between the Bolsa Chica State Beach entrance and Warner Avenue.

The highway was later reopened, after water levels receded and cleared the road.

In Sunset Beach, video posted to Facebook shows commuters navigating busy, water-slick streets while residents stand out on the sidewalk to observe the stretch of flooded roadway.

In Laguna Beach, video captured by resident Blair Conklin showed massive waves crashing against the Surf & Sand, a luxury oceanfront hotel, on Monday morning. In the video, the white-water waves could be seen reaching as high as the third story of the resort.

Near Crystal Cove State Beach, Caltrans crews were continuing to address the massive crack developing along the underside of Pacific Coast Highway while battling with impacts from the King Tides.

The crack was originally spotted earlier this month forming along the highway's bluff and has since then garnered a massive response from Caltrans, who oversees that stretch of roadway.

According to Caltrans spokesperson Christianne Smith, crews were working Monday to install sand barriers around the base of the bluff to protect it from crashing tides.

"We're awaiting authorization from California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission to proceed with the next steps of Phase 2, which include installing a fill buttress at the base of the slope and reinforcing it with large rocks to help reduce erosion and limit further slope movement," Smith told Patch.