How Tropical Storm Rachel's Leftovers Brought Desert Floods and Damaging Surf
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel struck Baja California, Southern California and Las Vegas over the weekend, bringing heavy rain inland and damaging surf to the California coast. The system had weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it approached California, according to The Guardian. That means a former tropical storm that has lost its tropical core but can still produce strong winds and rain.
The National Hurricane Center forecast the post-tropical cyclone to dissipate on Sunday over the southwestern United States, with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. The remnants made landfall in Mexico just south of the United States early on Sunday. At 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, Tropical Storm Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving northeast at 9 mph. By Advisory Number 57 at 2:00 a.m. PDT Sunday, Oct. 11, the Center noted the bulk of heavy rainfall was on the northern side of the circulation, consistent with an extratropical system powered more like a mid-latitude storm. A prior advisory at 11:00 p.m. PDT Saturday, Oct. 10, had warned heavy rains were expected in portions of Baja California.
Long Beach sustained the heaviest coastal damage. Waves destroyed a century-old boardwalk and crashed into oceanfront homes, washing away sand beneath foundations and leaving some structures at risk of collapse. At least nine properties were deemed unsafe to enter, a process often called red-tagging. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the exposed stretch. The city drew more than $1 million from emergency reserves to cover response costs.
Powerful waves also damaged seaside homes elsewhere along the coast and forced beach closures, as documented in Reuters imagery from Oct. 12. Newport Beach declared a local emergency after higher-than-normal surf inundated streets. The city briefly closed its piers to protect public safety. They had reopened by Monday, Oct. 12.
Inland, the system produced flooding in the Coachella Valley and a flash-flood threat across the desert Southwest. In Las Vegas, a torrent of water rushed over a street near the Strip. The city tied its all-time daily rainfall record for October with 1.08 inches (2.74 cm) into Sunday morning. Flood advisories were mostly lifted afterward, though ABC News reported lingering risk on Oct. 13.
The National Weather Service Los Angeles office continued to list a Coastal Flood Advisory and a Beach Hazards Statement among its watches, warnings and advisories on Oct. 13. Its guidance warned of up to one-half foot of inundation above ground level in low-lying coastal areas, with large breaking waves of 3 to 6 feet expected in the surf zone. A bulletin for the Santa Monica area said minor to moderate coastal flooding could be expected near times of high tide. The Los Angeles/Oxnard office warned of possible significant coastal flooding and beach erosion, with dangerous swimming conditions due to high surf and strong rip currents.
The broader context here is the sequence that linked rain and surf. The extratropical transition shifted the heaviest rain to the north while keeping a broad wind field able to build long-period swell. That pairing produced two hazards at once: rain-driven flooding in desert valleys with limited drainage, and the undermining of buildings on urban beaches as sand washed away. The red-tagging and emergency reserve spending in Long Beach point to damage concentrated in a narrow coastal strip rather than widespread wind loss. The local emergency declarations and pier closures reflect standard protocols for surf-driven flooding, where street flooding and scouring around foundations can continue after rainfall ends.
