PCH closed in Huntington Beach due to heavy rain, flooding

ByMarc Cota-Robles and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
PCH closed in Huntington Beach due to heavy rain, flooding
A 3-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway remained closed due to heavy rain and flooding in Huntington Beach. Meanwhile, the Southland was bracing for yet another in a weeklong series of winter storms.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A 3-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway remained closed in both directions Wednesday morning in Huntington Beach due to heavy rain and flooding, Caltrans said. Meanwhile, the Southland was bracing for yet another in a weeklong series of winter storms.

The closure, which began about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, extended from Warner Avenue south to Seapoint Street, near the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. It was unclear when PCH would be reopened.

Flooding also bedeviled a Huntington Beach neighborhood near Beach Boulevard and the 405 Freeway, where at least one family scrambled to sweep water out of their home.

A 90 percent chance of showers is expected Wednesday evening in Orange County, where a flash flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service. New rains could bring between one-quarter and one-half of an inch of precipitation. The flood watch is scheduled to expire at 6 p.m. Thursday.

In Long Beach's Belmont Shore area, floodwaters were deep enough to submerge sidewalks on some streets. Long Beach Public Works crews were summoned overnight to clear out clogged storm drains.