Storm Surge/Tide — Orange County Coastal, California

2022-09-09 · Orange County Coastal, California

Event narrative

Seal Beach had surges come across the beach and into parking lots and Boardwalk 2100. High tide was around 6.6 FT on September 8. Berm was hastily erected, with pumps in place and sandbags ready for residents.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Cyclone Kay formed on September 4th, 2022 and made its closest approach to Southern California on the 9th and 10th, with the center of Kay coming within 120 miles of San Diego. Tropical moisture associated with Kay managed to produce heavy rainfall leading to flooding across mountainous terrain in Southern California on September 9th and 10th. This led to a number of wind damage and flooding events in the mountains and desert foothill locations in Southern California. Kay transitioned to a Post-Tropical Cyclone that weekend, but left enough lingering moisture to support additional rounds of heavy thunderstorms through the 11th and 12th of September. These later rounds of heavy rain would lead to multiple significant debris flow events in the San Bernardino County Mountains, namely in and around the Apple and El Dorado burn scars.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1055866. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.