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Los Angeles coastal flooding breaks 1983 record, with more high tides expected

Los Angeles coastal flooding breaks 1983 record, with more high tides expected

Built World Los Angeles, CA local

The San Pedro gauge has logged 12 flood days in 2026, past the nine recorded in 1983, and 114 structures in Huntington Beach took on water as forecasters watch the Thanksgiving and Christmas king tides.

October 30th, 2026: Los Angeles breaks 1983 coastal flooding record

Overview

Updated 6 days ago

Los Angeles has recorded 12 days of coastal flooding in 2026, more than any year since the San Pedro tide gauge began operating in 1923. The old record was nine days in 1983, during a strong El Niño.

This week's high tides pushed water into streets and buildings from Sunset Beach to Newport Beach. In Huntington Beach alone, 114 homes and other structures took on water, and six homes across Orange County were deemed unsafe for unrestricted access. The next high tides are due around Thanksgiving, then Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Why it matters

Sunny-day flooding will keep hitting low-lying streets and homes from Sunset Beach to Newport Beach through the holidays, without a drop of rain.

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Key Indicators

12
High-tide flood days in Los Angeles in 2026
Through late October, surpassing the previous record of nine set in 1983.
9
Previous record flood days, set in 1983
The old record stood for 43 years, during a strong El Niño year.
3–6
NOAA forecast flood days, May 2026 to April 2027
Models had predicted three to six days, but nine were already recorded in that window by late October.
8.19 ft
Record tide at the San Pedro gauge
Set on Oct. 27, the highest reading since records began in November 1923.
114
Huntington Beach structures with water damage
Homes and other buildings hit by seawater this week, according to the city.

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People Involved

KK
Karen Kavanaugh
Oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Monitoring high-tide flooding and advising coastal communities

Organizations Involved

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal agency
Monitors tide gauges and issues coastal flood data

The federal agency that operates the San Pedro tide gauge and publishes high-tide flooding data.
CN
City of Newport Beach
City government
Declared a local emergency and approved sand replenishment ahead of high tides

The Orange County city where king tides flooded streets and businesses along the Balboa Peninsula.
CH
City of Huntington Beach
City government
Assessing flood damage and weighing longer-term barriers such as raised seawalls

The Orange County city where high tides flooded Pacific Coast Highway and damaged 114 homes and other structures.

Timeline

1923 October 2026

8 events Latest: October 30th, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Los Angeles breaks 1983 coastal flooding record

    Latest Record

    NOAA data shows 12 flood days in 2026, surpassing the nine recorded in 1983.

  2. Orange County counts 114 damaged structures in Huntington Beach

    Damage

    More than 100 structures were damaged across Orange County, including 114 homes and other buildings in Huntington Beach, and six homes were deemed unsafe for unrestricted access.

  3. Weather service extends coastal flood advisories

    Alert

    The National Weather Service extended flood advisories for all of Southern California's coastal counties through 2 p.m. Wednesday.

  4. High tide floods Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach

    Flooding

    Several inches of seawater cover the highway between Warner Avenue and Anderson Street.

  5. Newport Beach declares local emergency

    Emergency

    The city approves sand replenishment as king tides threaten the Balboa Peninsula.

  6. San Pedro tide gauge hits all-time high of 8.19 feet

    Record

    The gauge in Los Angeles Harbor broke its record for the second day running, reaching the highest level since observations began in November 1923.

  7. El Niño year sets previous flood-day record

    Record

    The San Pedro gauge records nine coastal flood days, the most until 2026.

  8. San Pedro tide gauge begins recording

    Infrastructure

    The gauge starts collecting water-level observations that now form a century-long record.

Scenarios

1

Thanksgiving king tides trigger new Pacific Coast Highway closures in Huntington Beach

Likely Resolves by Dec 1, 2026

Discussed by: NOAA oceanographer Karen Kavanaugh and state emergency officials warned of high-risk tides around Thanksgiving.

Kavanaugh said the moon's closest approach to Earth around Thanksgiving will produce some of the year's highest tides. If a Kelvin wave or storm overlaps, water could again cover low-lying stretches of Pacific Coast Highway. The city has staged sandbags and pumps before.

2

Los Angeles finishes 2026 with at least 15 high-tide flood days

Likely Resolves by Jan 15, 2027

Discussed by: NOAA's seasonal outlook and Kavanaugh's warning of more flooding around the holidays.

The San Pedro gauge had already logged 12 flood days by late October, and NOAA's models had forecast only three to six for the entire May-to-April window. Another three flood days would push the 2026 total to 15, a clear record. Kavanaugh said more king tides are due in November and December.

3

Newport Beach extends its coastal flooding emergency through December

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: City of Newport Beach emergency declaration and state warnings about the holiday king tides.

Newport Beach declared a local emergency and approved sand replenishment before this week's tides. If holiday tides again threaten the Balboa Peninsula, the City Council could extend the emergency to unlock continued spending and coordination. The city has already pumped water from flooded streets.

4

Huntington Beach approves raised seawalls or retaining walls

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Huntington Beach officials, who said they are considering longer-term protective measures after this week's flooding.

City officials said they are weighing raising seawalls and building retaining walls after seawater damaged 114 structures. Approval would show the city moving from sandbags and pumps to permanent barriers.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1983

1983 El Niño flood record

A strong El Niño helped push tides over seawalls and into low-lying areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties. The San Pedro tide gauge recorded nine high-tide flood days, the most in any year since observations began in 1923. In Newport Beach, residents remembered the ocean and bay meeting.

Then

The nine-day record stood for 43 years.

Now

It became the benchmark for comparing later El Niño flooding, including the six days recorded in 2015.

Why this matters now

In 2026, Los Angeles passed that record by late October, with holiday tides still ahead.

2015-2016

2015-16 El Niño

One of the strongest El Niños on record brought heavy rain and high surf to California, but the San Pedro gauge recorded only six high-tide flood days in 2015. That was still above the four days recorded in 2025.

Then

The season showed that El Niño strength alone does not determine coastal flooding.

Now

It highlighted the role of king tides, Kelvin waves, and sea level rise in pushing water over the same thresholds.

Why this matters now

The 2026 season has already doubled 2015's flood-day count, even before winter.

Sources

(9)
+3
LAist ABC7 Los Angeles Fox Weather CBS Los Angeles Los Angeles Times KTLA The Press Democrat The Guardian KTLA