For just the second time ever, California is under a tropical storm watch. Major coastal flooding was already underway Friday in Newport Beach (Orange County), and coastal flood warnings are now in effect from Los Angeles to San Diego until 3 p.m. Sunday.
It comes as Tropical Storm Rachel made a surprising northward shift in its track overnight and is now forecast to make landfall near the U.S.-Mexico border late Saturday night or early Sunday.
“The more significant impacts are likely going to come from the coastal flooding side of things, especially for south-facing beaches in Los Angeles County,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles wrote Friday afternoon. The weather service in San Diego had similar messaging…