Topline
Hurricane Marie brought high waves to Southern California over Labor Day weekend even as it remained at sea, sparking flooding, beach closures and power outages along the coast that are expected to continue past the weekend.
A wave crashes up and over a small retaining wall on Sept. 6, in Long Beach, California.
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Key Facts
Hurricane Marie is a Category 2 strength storm that arrived off the Pacific coast near Southern California on Saturday, and is expected to impact the area before weakening into a post-tropical storm Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service reports.
While the storm has not made landfall, its effects have been felt on Southern California’s beaches, with waves reaching up to 10 feet in some areas and sparking coastal flooding and high surf advisories.
The storm has battered coastal towns throughout Southern California as a result, with local outlets reporting widespread flooding, car accidents caused by slick roads, and power outages impacting traffic signals and the Police Department in Arcadia, California.
Beaches throughout the area were also closed over the holiday weekend amid the storm, with local outlet ABC 7 reporting Sunday lifeguards in Long Beach, California, even evacuated people off the beach’s boardwalk due to the tall waves.
While the storm’s worst effects were felt on the coast, even more inland areas of Los Angeles County were expecting up to an inch of rainfall, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The storm is already weakening, the National Weather Service said early Monday, though the flooding and surf advisories remain in effect through Tuesday evening.
Surprising Fact
A hurricane has not made landfall in Southern California since the 19th century, AccuWeather reports citing National Weather Service data, though storms off the coast have repeatedly impacted the area. Hurricane Hilary in 2023 was the most recent storm to bring flooding and other damage to California, after Hurricane Kay was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it neared the state’s coast in 2022. That being said, these storms are still relatively rare: Kay was the first tropical storm to be within 200 miles of California’s coast since 2000, according to AccuWeather.
Contra
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, noted on X before Hurricane Marie’s arrival that while the storm would bring greater impacts to the coast, the rainfall would also be “beneficial” to the area, with little risk of lightning that could spark wildfires.
Further Reading
Trump’s Energy Secretary Says Hurricanes And Floods Aren’t Worsening (Studies Say They Are) (Forbes)
A rainbow spans a flooded Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach, California, on Sept. 6.
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People watch as waves hammer the shore in Long Beach on Sept. 6.
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Long Beach pedestrians navigate in Long Beach navigate flooded roads during high tide on Sept. 6.
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The Venice Beach boardwalk with a puddle caused by high tide and rains of Hurricane Marie on September 6 in Los Angeles, California.
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Seal Beach city workers pump flood water away from homes and towards the ocean in Seal Beach, California, on Sept. 6.
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A lifeguard keeps a watchful eye on swimmers as waves hit in Venice Beach on Sept. 5.
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