Newport Beach saw a record tide of 8.4 feet on Tuesday morning, and the water pushed into the Newport Harbor Yacht Club boatyard, nearby streets and the area beneath the Newport Boulevard Bridge. The level was the highest seen since the 1920s, and it came in well above the normal peak high tide of 6.6 feet.
By 9 a.m., water was already hitting the 8-foot mark in Newport Harbor, before the normal peak was due around 9:45 a.m. At 8th and West Bay Avenue, the streets filled quickly. At West Bay Avenue and 9th Street, pumps were busy sending pooled water back into the bay. The city closed the waterway beneath the Newport Boulevard Bridge for a couple of hours as a precaution, and police said the move was meant to protect nearby properties from flooding caused by boat wakes during the morning high tide.
The flooding spread farther south along the coast. The Pirate House at 35th Street and Marcus Avenue had water through the ground floor, and 36th Street and Marcus Avenue were underwater, about shin deep in the street. Newport Beach also suspended parking enforcement through 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, as officials braced for another round of high water. The bridge-area closure was expected again Wednesday morning.
Sandy Gold said the Pirate House was a landmark and that she felt really bad for the owner after seeing water go through the house. “This house is a landmark; it’s famous,” she said. “People come from everywhere just to see that house. I feel really bad for him. It went right through his house.”
Tuesday’s tide was supposed to be the peak of the week, but the water still found its way in even with sandbags, pumps and city monitoring in place. That is why the search for Newport Beach flooding is not about one street or one shoreline; it is about a city facing another morning of extreme tides, with coastal advisories continuing through Thursday and more closures already on deck Wednesday.
