Hurricane Rachel remnants may push weekend tides higher in Malibu
Offshore hurricane could add a foot or more to already high weekend tides, with Sunday morning posing the biggest risk for flooding and erosion.
By Hans Laetz
Remnants of Hurricane Rachel may cause higher-than-normal tides in Malibu this weekend — a foot to a foot and a half higher than what the tide tables are calling for.
Normally the high tides would crest at around 7 feet this weekend, but low pressure from the hurricane plus winds could increase that to 8 or 8-1/2 feet by Sunday morning.
The lunar high tide Sunday is forecast for just before 10 a.m.
Waves spun off from the remnants of Hurricane Rachel are already coming ashore in Malibu and were crashing overnight. Thursday morning the ocean waves appeared to be huge down at Zuma Beach.
Thursday's lunar high tide crests at 10:36 a.m. at 6.9 feet, with a second high tide Thursday night at 8:41 at 6.5 feet.
More plus-seven-foot high tides are expected over the weekend, but the offshore hurricane may increase these heights by 12 to 18 inches.
The National Weather Service says swells out of the south are arriving at a 12-second interval, posing the most risk from Malibu through Ventura through Friday. The most reasonable outcome for our area is possible flooding of beach parking lots and significant beach erosion, with isolated damage also possible.
The time window for the most concern for wave damage is Sunday during the morning high tide, the NWS says. Coastal flooding and erosion on houses underneath them is possible between now and Sunday.
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