Motorists passing Main Beach in Laguna Beach found the ground covered in inches of water, even though rain forecast with Hurricane Rachel hasn’t arrived yet.
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Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond said the water came from the ocean during a period of high tides and high surf.
“Rachel came earlier than expected,” he said, adding that passing motorists and visitors to Main Beach and other lower-lying areas of Laguna Beach might expect more of the same over the next two weeks.
The city’s public works crews were out Thursday morning clearing the area as traffic along Coast Highway, Broadway Street and Laguna Canyon Road slowed to a crawl. At close to 11 a.m., there was still at least 8 inches of water at the Coast Highway and Broadway intersection adjacent to the beach park.
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Bond said the water recedes with the tide.
In South Laguna, some of the Aliso Beach coast-side parking lot is back open after city crews wrapped up work on clearing sand and making reports. The lot was closed before Labor Day because of impacts from an earlier hurricane.
The row of parking spaces closest to the sand will likely remain closed for at least a couple more weeks, Bond said, given the current weather forecast.
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