Coastal flood warnings in Southern California extended to Friday

The National Weather Service extended flood advisories for all of Southern California’s coastal counties through 2 p.m. on Friday, a shift from the original expiration time of 1 p.m. on Thursday. Devin Black, a meteorologist for the service’s Oxnard office, confirmed the change on Wednesday. The extension comes as unusually high tides continue to affect low-lying areas in the region.

Orange and San Diego counties had been under more severe flood warnings that ran through Thursday afternoon. Those counties are now being downgraded to a coastal advisory that lasts through Friday afternoon. Black noted that the weather service has received reports of seawater covering low-lying areas. He added that some structures have experienced shallow water reaching the base of the buildings.

Long Beach has been the primary area of concern for several weeks, according to Black. Tides are projected to reach 8 feet on Thursday morning before gradually decreasing over the weekend. The current tidal levels are extreme, with some measurements this week setting new records.

The San Pedro tide gauge recorded 8.02 feet on Monday morning. This figure broke the previous record of 7.93 feet, which had been set in January 2005. Other tide gauges across Southern California, including those in La Jolla, also approached record levels during this period.

Black explained that the risk varied by location due to the angle and magnitude of the swells. San Diego and Orange counties faced higher risks because they were more exposed to a southwesterly swell. Although high tides occurred across the region, this specific exposure intensified the flooding in those southern counties.

The current flooding may serve as a preview for winter conditions. Higher tides are expected around the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day holidays. These events are known as king tides and are a regular occurrence for Californians. A weather system is also expected to move over the region on Saturday and Sunday, potentially bringing rain to Los Angeles.

The extension of the advisories reflects the lingering nature of the high tides. The weather service adjusted its timeline to ensure public safety during this period of elevated water levels. The next major weather event will involve the potential rainfall over the upcoming weekend.