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Newport Beach closes beaches, declares emergency as Rachel hits

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Newport Beach Closes

Newport Beach closed all beaches and declared a local emergency as Tropical Storm Rachel caused high surf and flooding.
The National Weather Service warned of coastal flooding for Los Angeles and Orange County beaches through 3 p.m. Sunday.
Long Beach officials placed red tags on two buildings and a yellow tag on another after surf damage.
Orange County crews rebuilt sand berms and deployed thousands of sandbags before the storm.

Summary

NWS Issues Flood

National Weather Service issued flood watches and wind advisories for Utah, forecasting 1–2 inches rain.
Flash-flood risk rises Sunday in southwest Utah parks and monuments.
Meteorologists warn gusts could reach 60–70 mph, with a sting jet in mountain valleys.
KSL’s Devan Masciulli says storm track may shift rainfall toward the Utah-Nevada border.
Models predict 6–8 inches of precipitation on southwest Utah slopes, the Book Cliffs, and Bear River Range.

History

Historical Context

California’s 1997 flood season, driven by an El Niño atmospheric river, displaced more than 120,000 residents across 48 counties and caused over $2 billion in damage. The disaster, the worst since the 1862 flood, is managed by agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—who built flood-control works after the 1938 flood—and today’s Newport and Long Beach beach closures highlight the need for updated risk maps.

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Newport Beach Closes

Newport Beach closed all beaches and declared a local emergency as Tropical Storm Rachel caused high surf and flooding.
The National Weather Service warned of coastal flooding for Los Angeles and Orange County beaches through 3 p.m. Sunday.
Long Beach officials placed red tags on two buildings and a yellow tag on another after surf damage.
Orange County crews rebuilt sand berms and deployed thousands of sandbags before the storm.

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