It was another soggy night along coastal Orange County as king tides sent salt water flooding into streets Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Areas of the Newport Beach peninsula, both in West Newport and near the Fun Zone, along with Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach, flooded during the night when high tides at about 10 p.m. neared 7 feet.
Huntington Beach spokesperson Jennifer Carey said flooding from higher than normal tides can happen a few times a year near Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue in the Huntington Harbour area.
“We anticipate one more night of king tides (Wednesday) evening at approximately 10:40 at 6.9 feet,” she said in an email. “This will be the third night. Public Works crews have been mobilized each night to pump water and minimize flooding.”
One woman brought out a stand-up paddleboard and cruised down the flooded street and past carports.
Crews have also been out in Newport Beach the last few nights trying to keep the sea water at bay. Sea water has flooded streets in the area of West Newport between 26th and 30th street and the Balboa Peninsula near the Fun Zone and A street, prompting pumping and street closures, said city spokesperson John Pope.
Each night, workers set out to turn more than 30 valves to try and keep the bay water from breaching land, but sometimes it rises so high it overtops seawalls into the streets.
Newport Boulevard closed to traffic for a few hours Tuesday evening, but because of the late-night hours, it wasn’t a huge impact, Pope said. The same will likely happen tonight.
The Balboa Ferry also closed to vehicle traffic for a few hours on Tuesday.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, “king tides” is a non-scientific term people often use to describe exceptionally high tides.
Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is “pulled” back and forth by the gravitational tug of the moon and the…
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