Unseasonal combination of high tide, strong swell hits Seal Beach with a one-two punch

Thursday morning found Seal Beach work crews busy on the beach building an emergency sand berm to hold back southern swells that arrived Wednesday night during high tide, flooding public and residential areas near the pier.

Pumps were being used to remove pools of standing water from a public parking lot, where a sandy mix had encroached into low-lying areas near the city’s pier and boardwalk at around 9 p.m., as the tide reached heights over 6 feet.

“Over the last couple of days we’ve had a fast swell that’s been building. It was forecast to be from 2 to 3 feet, but it’s been at about 3 to 4 feet all day,” Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey said Thursday. “[It] peaked last night and it should be dropping, but we’re definitely concerned, and we’re going to be keeping an eye on it.”

Coastal flooding in Seal Beach, California, during a high tide, caused minor flooding along beachfront homes Thursday.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

A public works team used heavy equipment to shift sand into a mini-berm south of 10th Street, just three weeks after the city removed a much larger berm that had been constructed in November to divert water away from homes and points inland.

Bailey, who’s worked for the city for the past 20 years, said he’s seen all kinds of storms and how they hit the city’s south-facing beach and acknowledged the recent activity was somewhat unseasonal.

While winter swells typically come in from the west and northwest and gouge away at the local coastline, summertime southern swells from Mexico are usually gentler and help deposit sand back on the beach. But, when coupled with a high tide, all bets are off.

A beach parking lot in Seal Beach Thursday is covered with sand and standing water after nighttime floods hit the area.

(Courtesy of Seal Beach Police Department)

“We try to do the best with what we have,” Bailey said. “But it’s hard to corral Mother Nature.”

A series of winter storms and high surf conditions earlier this year resulted in flooding and intense waves that struck the pier in January, causing a temporary closure.

Seal Beach emergency services coordinator Brian Gray confirmed the city has been working with California’s Office of Emergency Services and FEMA on restoration. He said a crew was repairing the structure Thursday, even as public works crews on shore dealt with the more recent blow.

Free sandbags were being made available at the city’s 8th Street parking lot to residents whose homes stand within the affected areas, as similar conditions were anticipated to return for a second night.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning advising people to stay out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions along Orange County beaches, indicating another chance for flooding along low-lying areas Thursday night, particularly in Seal Beach.

Flooding seen at 11th Street and Seal Way in Seal Beach Thursday morning.

(Courtesy of Seal Beach Police Department)