Record King Tides Flood Huntington Beach, Damaging Homes
A coastal flood advisory issued by the National Weather Service office in San Diego, California, remains in effect for the coastal areas of San Diego and Orange counties. It runs through 2 p.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, as a run of record-high king tides continues to flood low-lying streets, parks and lots. In Huntington Beach, more than 100 homes and other structures have sustained water damage since the tides began rising, and six homes have been barred from unrestricted access over safety concerns, KTLA and ABC7 Los Angeles reported.
City officials told the Orange County Register that 114 homes and other structures in Huntington Beach, including the Sunset Beach and Huntington Harbour neighborhoods, had taken on seawater, KTLA reported. The flooding turned stretches of Pacific Coast Highway and nearby residential streets into standing water, overwhelming sandbags, seawalls and pumps set out to protect homes and businesses, according to KTLA. Huntington Beach officials also reported that saltwater reaching a lithium-ion battery sparked a structure fire during the flooding, KTLA said.
Water levels reached a record 8.52 feet in San Diego Harbor and 8.19 feet in Los Angeles Harbor on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, according to the Times, as cited by KTLA. A separate reading put Tuesday's tide at a record 8.2 feet in Huntington Beach. Wednesday's high tide, Oct. 28, 2026, reached 8 feet there, ABC7 reported. Officials said the unusually high tides were being driven by El Niño conditions and a Kelvin wave, according to ABC7.
The advisory covers minor flooding of lots, parks and roads, with only isolated road closures expected, the weather service said. Observed tides have run 1.3 to 1.6 feet above the predicted astronomical tide, and the highest tide of the day was forecast around noon Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. The agency told residents to allow extra travel time, never drive around barricades or through standing water of unknown depth, and to take steps to protect flood-prone property.
The next king tides are expected around Thanksgiving, with further high-tide events around Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, KTLA reported.
ABC7 reported that Huntington Beach has declared a local emergency over the flooding. KTLA reported that the city council is scheduled to meet Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2026, to consider ratifying such a declaration, which could help the city seek reimbursement for flood-related costs. "We have our crews and our swift water teams out in the different neighborhoods just making sure, seeing if there's any assistance that they need," Huntington Beach Fire Chief Eric McCoy told ABC7. Emergency crews and swift-water teams have been checking on residents and offering assistance across the affected neighborhoods, ABC7 said. No injuries had been reported as of Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, ABC7 said, citing the fire department.
