Flood warnings and advisories extend beyond SoCal coast       By Los Angeles Times staff        Coastal flood warnings or advisories stretched up the California coast from San Diego to Santa Cruz, and encircled much of San Francisco Bay. Forecasters also warned of a risk of flooding in Southern California’s mountains and deserts from the rain.Overnight, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning in parts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties, including a swath of the Coachella Valley, as well as the cities of El Cajon, Santee and Blythe.                  ‘It’s coming’: Long Beach scrambles to prepare for Rachel’s high tide                           By 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, , a steady stream of water poured down an alley between 64th and 63rd Place as Long Beach public works set up water pumps. A large volume of water suddenly poured down 63rd and onto Ocean Boulevard.   (Fedor Zarkhin/Los Angeles Times)                 City of Long Beach workers scrambled Sunday morning to build a sand berm stretching westward from 62nd Place on the Long Beach peninsula, with less than two hours before high tide.City groundskeeper Robert Quinonez, who was spotting for the track hoe operator, said he didn’t believe they could build the berm high enough in time to prevent water from spilling into the street like it did Saturday. The residential street was half covered in sand left over from the prior day’s onslaught, and sandbags lined front doors and garages.The track hoe operator repeatedly spun the machine to the west, dug into a mound of sand, spun 180 degrees and dropped the sand.“We build as much as we can up, and just…” Quinonez said, trailing off.Alphonso Tubbs, 56, chatted with Quinonez, looking at the work. Tubbs and his girlfriend had recently bought a condo on the street and were planning to move in a week.Tubbs said he was grateful that the condo he bought was on the side of the street where the city was building a sandbar.“Just imagine if I was just on that side,” he said, pointing east. “They’re about to get smashed.”Marianna Messina, who has lived in Long Beach for 23 years, said the city’s work has been “excellent,” describing the operations to pump out water that had spilled into the street Saturday and remove a foot-thick layer of sand the water had deposited.Messina, 62, said at least one of her friends’ homes has been red-tagged.City officials said during a public briefing Saturday that Long Beach has already spent about $1 million bracing for the impacts on the peninsula.By around 8:30 a.m., a steady stream of water was pouring down an alley between 64th and 63rd Place as Long Beach public workers set up water pumps, when suddenly a large volume of water started pouring down 63rd and onto Ocean Boulevard.“It’s coming,” a worker shouted.Three neighbors were shoveling a makeshift pathway for the water in the alley between 63rd and 64th Place, with a foot-thick layer of sand they said had been deposited a day earlier.Jason Kravetz, 57, looked around the corner of the house towards the ocean.“Here comes one,” he said, and 30 seconds later, water started pouring down the alleyway and on either side of the small sand path they’d created.Robert Martin, 67, traced the pathway with his shovel, removing sand as the water flowed down the path and over his sneakers.“It’s still coming,” Kravetz said.The water stopped flowing, but the wind tearing down the alley and the crashing waves clearly signaled more was coming.The three of them had been shoveling sand and dealing with the inundation for three days, Martin said. On Friday, water got into their garages.Along the oceanfront, some houses had boarded-up windows or were partially protected with sandbags as waves crashed over wooden barriers between the ocean and the land.                    Evacuations in place along Long Beach peninsula       By Los Angeles Times staff        A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Friday on the Long Beach Peninsula for a few homes on Seaside Walk, between the 64th and 66th blocks. On Saturday, an evacuation warning was issued for homes on 64th, 65th and 66th places south of Ocean Boulevard, and for homes in the 6200, 6300, 6600 and 6700 blocks of Seaside Walk. An evacuation advisory was in place for all of Naples Island, Treasure Island and all other residents of the Peninsula.                  Long Beach Marathon tweaks route due to Rachel        The Long Beach Marathon is going on despite Rachel, but with a route change.Organizers said a small portion of the marathon that ran along a beach path will be re-routed inland as a precaution.                    Newport, Long Beach, other coastal areas brace for high tides this morning          On the Southern California coast, the weather service’s San Diego office said Sunday morning would carry the highest flooding risks along Orange County and San Diego County coast as swells, onshore winds and high tides combine. High tide on Sunday morning is at 9:43 a.m. in La Jolla and 9:48 a.m. in Newport Beach.High tide Sunday morning in Los Angeles County is around 9:49 a.m. The weather service’s Oxnard office warned that south-facing beaches of Los Angeles County could experience the worst coastal flooding of the season — exceeding the considerable damage caused by swells from a distant Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend, which damaged homes on the Long Beach Peninsula and in Malibu and Dana Point.“Localized damaging sea-water flooding is likely, especially Long Beach, Avalon, Malibu,” the weather service’s Oxnard office said. “Significant beach erosion likely.”Coastal flood warnings or advisories stretched up the California coast from San Diego to Santa Cruz, and encircled much of San Francisco Bay. Forecasters also warned of a risk of flooding in Southern California’s mountains and deserts from the rain.                  Rain pounds Las Vegas, desert areas as Rachel moves through        Rachel was dumping heavy rain in Las Vegas and desert areas of California and Nevada.The National Weather Service reported flooding in West Las Vegas and issued flood advisories for Kingman, Lake Havasu CIty, Western Las Vegas Valley and Death Valley and Primm, among other locations.                    Kelvin wave hitting Southern California: What to expect as El Niño threatens the coast again                           A wave crashes on the staircase leading to Agate Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Sept. 30.    (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)                 The Kelvin wave bearing down on Southern California this week is not the kind that draws surfers.You don’t see it crash on shore, and by itself, it’s probably not even noticeable. But it can have a profound effect, adding 6 to 12 inches to background sea levels, potentially for months.         Read the full story                   How much rain will Rachel bring?        So how much rain should L.A. get from Rachel?According to the National Weather Service, the L.A. area  has a strong chance of rain Sunday and Monday with a slight chance of some rain Tuesday morning.Rain amounts of one-quarter of an inch to 1 inch will be common in much of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, but could reach 1.5 to 3 inches in the San Gabriel Mountains. In San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, initial forecasts included half an inch to 1.5 inches will be common in coastal areas and deserts, although mountains could get 1 to 3 inches. But San Diego County mountains received more than 3 inches of rain by 6 a.m. Sunday.Large rocks, mud and debris covered a winding stretch of Highway 74 south of Palm Desert after midnight Sunday, the weather service said, while flood waters covered Main Street in the unincorporated community of Ramona in San Diego County.Rain in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties is expected SUnday and Monday, with a slight chance of rain on Tuesday during the day only in L.A. County.In San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Monday’s rain is expected to be lighter than Sunday’s, and dry conditions are expected by Tuesday. A few inches of snow are possible in the San Bernardino County mountains above an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level.The weather hazards on the coast are related to seawater surging on to shore as sea levels rise and swells hit from the force of Rachel, a former tropical storm.A flood watch has been issued for San Diego County, the Coachella Valley, and most of the Mojave Desert, as wells as Las Vegas and much of eastern Nevada; northwestern Arizona, including the Grand Canyon; most of Utah; and eastern Idaho.                  Rachel is now a Post-Tropical Cyclone as it moves inland        As of 5 a.m, what is left of Post-Tropical Cyclone Rachel was rolling though the California desert, according to the National Hurricane Center.Rachel is “moving toward the north near 25 mph and this motion is expected to continue today as Rachel moves farther inland over the southwest United States,” the center said. “Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 40 mph with higher gusts. Rachel should continue to weaken and dissipate later today.”                  Rachel moves inland with rain, wind, flood danger       By Los Angeles Times staff        Rachel arrived in Baja California late Saturday night and is now bringimg heavy winds and rain to portions of Mexico, Southern California and other parts of the Southwest.Flash flood warnings were issued for some areas including Dana Point, Indio, Palm Desert and El Cajon.High tide this morning could bring more coastal flooding to places like San Diego, Newport Beach and Long Beach.                    Long Beach Peninsula, already battered, fears more damage with Rachel          The Long Beach peninsula, already battered by weeks of high surf, is bracing for more problems Sunday with Post-Tropical Storm Rachel.On Friday, waves topped the bulkhead and sent water into homes and streets, according to city officials. Inspectors red-tagged eight buildings across 13 addresses, including apartments, and yellow-tagged at least one, Mayor Rex Richardson said Saturday. A red tag marks a building as unsafe to enter, and a yellow tag restricts its use.Richardson urged residents to “take this seriously and be prepared.” Todd Leland, a manager in the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department, said the city’s bulkhead and pedestrian boardwalk had already sustained significant structural damage.Workers are bracing damaged sections with timber and thousands of sandbags to stabilize the compromised areas and prevent collapse.“Prepare right now for the impacts,” Richardson said. “Our infrastructure was not built for this.”Long Beach City Manager Tom Modica said that he expected a lengthy recovery. “We will be asking for assistance from the governor, and potentially also from the federal government,” Modica said. “We don’t think this is just going to be this weekend. This is going to be the entire next couple of months.”                  What to expect as Rachel moves in          Here are some key things to look for Sunday as Post-Tropical Storm Rachel impacts Southern California:The National Weather Service said Sunday morning would carry the highest flooding risks along the Orange and San Diego coasts as swells, onshore winds and high tides combine.The center of Rachel was expected to move onshore in northern Baja California on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.Most coastal areas could get about an inch or a little less. Some mountain areas could get more than four inches.Many areas west of the mountains will stay in the 60s on Monday, and Big Bear may only reach the 40s, Roser said. Temperatures should warm by the end of the week, he said.Inland, southern San Bernardino County faces at least a 40% chance of excessive rain that could result in flash flooding through Saturday night, said Julie Phillipson, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. “Our primary concern is still the heavy rains and the flooding that can occur.”                  Oceanfront residents in Long Beach are under an evacuation order                                                                      Coastal communities bracing for Rachel amid flood threat          Coastal communities including Newport Beach, Lomg Beach, San Diego, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach are bracing for high tide Sunday morning as Rachel moves through the region.Rachel is expected to pass to the south but should create wave action to the north.Long Beach’s mandatory order covers homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th places. It took effect at 7 p.m. Friday and runs through noon Tuesday, city officials said. A commercial crane is scheduled to drop sandbags on 65th Place and westward in front of addresses between 65th and 64th, city officials said.Waves topped the bulkhead and sent water into homes and streets, according to city officials. Inspectors red-tagged eight buildings across 13 addresses, including apartments, and yellow-tagged at least one, Mayor Rex Richardson said Saturday. A red tag marks a building as unsafe to enter, and a yellow tag restricts its use.The city closed the Peninsula to nonresident traffic, with more street closures starting at 62nd Place.Huntington Beach also activated its emergency operations center Friday, the city said. Many spectators watched pounding waves there at high tide Saturday morning. Cyclists, walkers and runners packed the white concrete trail along Bolsa Chica State Beach. A section that flooded Friday appeared to escape more trouble Saturday, despite signs that said “flooded.”Newport Beach temporary closed some beach areas Saturday.The weather service expects more coastal flooding Sunday, when high tide at Newport Beach is forecast to reach 7.6 feet at 9:48 a.m. “Low-lying property including homes, businesses, and some critical infrastructure may flood,” the agency’s San Diego office said. Surf could reach 6 to 9 feet, highest at south-facing beaches, especially in Orange County, Roser said.Water at the Los Angeles Harbor tide gauge peaked at 7.7 feet Saturday morning, about 1.6 feet above the predicted tide, the National Weather Service said. “The projected high tides of around 8 feet for Sunday morning would approach or exceed recent record tide levels for L.A. County,” it said.                  Rachel is rare for the weather history books thanks to El Nino          The center of Post-Tropical Storm Rachel made landfall in northern Baja California Saturday night with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.In the modern record, only two storms have passed through the state at tropical-storm strength.The first — nicknamed El Cordonazo, or the Lash of St. Francis — hit Long Beach and San Pedro in September 1939. It dumped 5.62 inches of rain on L.A. over three days, spawned wind gusts of up to 65 mph and resulted in 45 deaths from flooding, with an additional 48 deaths at sea.There was also Nora in September 1997, which was briefly at tropical storm strength as its center passed along the California-Arizona border, but California was spared the kind of damage it delivered to Baja California. Street flooding was reported in Imperial County, the Coachella Valley and San Diego, while big waves boosted by Nora and another storm sent breakers crashing into beachfront properties in Seal Beach, seriously damaging three homes and resulting in minor damage to 45 others.Nora arrived during a “very strong” El Niño season. That pattern is linked to above-average hurricane activity in the eastern Pacific, and also is usually tied to above-average rainfall for Southern California in the winter.That climate pattern sees the heating of ocean waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which spur changes in the atmosphere that can affect weather around the world.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that there is virtually a 100% chance that the El Niño this season will be categorized as “very strong.” There’s also an 83% chance that this El Niño will be the strongest on record, which goes back to 1950, up from a 75% probability forecast last month.