Coastal communities in Southern California are recovering after a weekend of severe weather that sent floodwaters surging through streets and powerful waves crashing into beachfront homes.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel made landfall in Mexico's Baja California over the weekend, also affecting Southern California and Las Vegas. Although meteorologists noted that Rachel had weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it approached California, it still left behind serious damage.
Captured images showed large waves slamming into homes in Long Beach, destroying a boardwalk and forcing residents to evacuate. Damage to homes was significant, leaving some structures at risk of collapse.
According to the Long Beach Post, at least nine homes were deemed unsafe to enter, meaning residents had to leave without being able to return for their personal belongings. The storm drained more than $1 million from the city's emergency reserve fund, the newspaper reported.
Further south, the city of Newport Beach declared a local state of emergency and temporarily closed its piers to "protect public safety," citing "higher-than-normal surf" that flooded streets.
By Monday, cleanup was underway and Newport Beach had reopened its piers, but officials urged the public to exercise caution near the water.
In Las Vegas, a flash flood swept across a street near the Strip, and the city tied its all-time record for the highest daily rainfall in October with 1.08 inches (2.74 cm) as of Sunday morning, according to the US National Weather Service.
The extreme weather comes as El Niño strengthens the Pacific, producing large and long-lasting storms. The five most recent Pacific hurricanes all reached severe status with winds of at least 111 mph (178.6 km/h), and one set a record for the longest duration at Category 5 strength.
Researcher Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University, who forecasts and studies hurricane activity, told the Associated Press that the past month was "crazy."
"This year, everything that formed lasted a really long time and became really strong," he said.
California is bracing for a challenging winter with violent storms driven by a particularly strong El Niño. Models from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate a high likelihood of a historic El Niño, bringing wet weather, landslides and destructive high tides.
The state is among the places forecast to be significantly affected by this climate pattern, though the impacts are expected to be felt globally, with soaring temperatures and escalating global food prices.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
