A relentless wave of moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel pounded the American Southwest over the weekend, wrecking coastal structures in Southern California and swamping the desert interior, officials and local reports said.
After making landfall late Saturday night in northern Baja California, the post-tropical system merged its moisture with a separate western weather system. The combination sent heavy ocean swells crashing ashore in Los Angeles and Orange counties while unloading flash floods across parts of Nevada and Arizona.
Coastal damage mounts in Southern California
In Long Beach, powerful waves broke through a timber bulkhead along the Alamitos Peninsula, tearing through sections of the century-old waterfront boardwalk on Seaside Walk. Municipal inspectors red-tagged multiple residential properties as unsafe to enter, while at least one home was yellow-tagged to restrict access. Outlets cited varying counts from local officials, with the New York Post reporting at least eight buildings representing 13 addresses were red-tagged, while the Los Angeles Times cited a report noting nine buildings.
Emergency officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th places, with the order scheduled to remain in effect until noon Tuesday. The destruction marked the third consecutive storm system to batter the area in six weeks, following Hurricane Marie and Hurricane Polo.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told the Los Angeles Times that the recurring damage underscores the need for regional infrastructure investments to confront changing climate conditions, noting that three major storm systems within six weeks was unprecedented for the area. The city has deployed heavy machinery and large sandbags to brace the seawall while preparing long-term repairs projected to cost up to $3.6 million, according to city officials.
Further south, the city of Newport Beach declared a local emergency as floodwaters inundated Balboa Boulevard and surrounding streets. City authorities closed all municipal beaches, the Wedge and both the Newport and Balboa piers through the weekend, urging the public to stay away from the dangerous surf.
Record rainfall hits Las Vegas valley
As the storm moved inland Sunday, heavy rain inundated southern Nevada. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas recorded 1.08 inches of rain on Sunday morning, KTNV reported. The deluge eclipsed the previous daily record of 0.78 inches set in 2012.
The intense downpours left vehicles stranded across Las Vegas, inundating corridors near the Strip, including Koval Lane, and forcing road closures as far south as Primm Boulevard near the California state border. Over an inch of rain fell on the west side of the valley early Sunday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings.
Elsewhere in the region, thunderstorms produced wind gusts exceeding 60 mph in the Inland Empire communities of Menifee and Temecula, California, triggering localized debris flows, ABC News reported. Strong winds also created a dust storm that reduced visibility to near zero around Phoenix, Arizona.
What happens next
Coastal flood warnings for Orange County beaches remain in effect through Tuesday afternoon as elevated surf and unusually high tides continue to threaten vulnerable shorelines. Weather forecasters warned that isolated flash flood risks and gusty winds could linger across portions of the desert Southwest through early Monday as the disturbance gradually dissipates.
