Sunset Beach : Forecast of High Tides Leads to Precautions

The California Highway Patrol will close a portion of Pacific Coast Highway this morning and the rest of the week during peak hours of high tides, which will reach 7 feet or better.

One northbound lane between Anderson Street and Warner Avenue will be closed for 45 minutes to an hour before and after the high tide’s peak because of expected flooding. Scheduled peaks at Los Angeles’ outer harbor, the nearest point of calculation, will be 7.2 feet at 7:44 a.m. today, 7.3 feet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and 7.1 feet at 9:21 a.m. Thursday.

Harbor Patrols in Newport Beach and Dana Point reported no flooding Monday when the tide reached 6.9 feet.

Meanwhile, Sunset Beach residents who live near the edge of Huntington Harbour prepared for expected flooding by piling sandbags on existing seawalls and breaking out water pumps. Joan Antonowitsch, who lives in the 17000 block of 7th Street, said she and her neighbors have been preparing for the tides and flooding for weeks.

“We have been getting the sandbags out,” Antonowitsch said, “and I’m piling my bedroom furniture up just in case a storm makes the tide worse. We just want to be prepared for this.”