Hurricane Marie swell buries Long Beach cars

Powerful surf from Hurricane Marie pushed sand onto a Long Beach street and left multiple parked cars partly buried on Tuesday, according to widely shared video and regional weather coverage. The flooding and sand wash-over hit the city’s peninsula area after several days of high surf tied to Marie, which remained well offshore of Southern California. The National Weather Service kept both a coastal flood advisory and a high surf advisory in effect for Long Beach through 11 p.m. on September 8. ### How did a storm that stayed offshore end up covering cars with sand? Tropical Storm Marie was about 650 nautical miles southwest of Los Angeles at 2 p.m. PDT on Monday, the National Weather Service said, but forecasters said the storm was still sending hazardous swell toward the Southern California coast. The agency’s coastal products said Long Beach could see flooding of low-lying roads, walkways and beach areas even without a landfall. (yahoo.com) AccuWeather video published Monday showed “intense swells roaring up coastal streets in Long Beach, California, pushing sand that partially buried cars.” That footage matched social media posts circulating Tuesday that showed vehicles lodged in sand on a Long Beach residential street. ### Which part of Long Beach was already under warning? (forecast.weather.gov) The National Weather Service said the Alamitos Peninsula area in Long Beach was of “particular concern” in its high surf and coastal flood products. The agency warned that sea water could flood vulnerable low-lying areas around high tide and said local damage to structures was possible near the peninsula. (yahoo.com) FOX 11 reported on September 6 that Long Beach crews had built protective sand berms as ocean water reached the boardwalk near 64th Place. KTLA reported on September 7 that waves had reduced those berms significantly overnight and that surf had crashed into the seawall for a third straight day. ### Were residents already dealing with flooding before the cars were buried? (forecast.weather.gov) ABC7 reported on September 7 that streets near 67th Place and Ocean Boulevard had flooded after water washed over berms and sand clogged storm drains. A resident identified only as Jen told ABC7 that swells became especially large from about 2 p.m. Sunday and that blocked drains helped water spill into homes and garages. (foxla.com) NBC Los Angeles reported Monday that residents were placing sandbags and boarding up windows as high surf threatened homes along the shoreline. The station said flooding had already been reported in Long Beach streets and homes and cited a Los Angeles County public health advisory on ocean water quality after rainfall. (abc7.com) ### How large were the surf and flood risks? The National Weather Service said large breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet were expected for south- and southwest-facing beaches, with 4 to 7 feet for west-facing beaches. The agency also warned of strong rip currents and said high tides in the area were expected to exceed 7 feet. (nbclosangeles.com) The weather service’s Long Beach forecast page on Tuesday continued to list a coastal flood advisory and high surf advisory until 11 p.m. PDT. Those advisories covered Los Angeles County beaches as Marie tracked northwest while remaining offshore. ### What happens next for Long Beach residents? (nbclosangeles.com) The City of Long Beach’s emergency and storm information pages remained available Tuesday for residents seeking updates on flooding, sandbags and service impacts. Forecasters said the most immediate milestone was the expiration of the coastal flood and high surf advisories at 11 p.m. PDT on September 8, if conditions improve as expected. (longbeach.gov) (forecast.weather.gov)