Hurricane Polo's Swells Could Flood Long Beach and Malibu Through Wednesday

Forecasters expect tides near 7 feet, about a foot above normal, as surf reaches 4 to 7 feet on south-facing beaches.

Hurricane Polo's swells are set to meet tides near 7 feet Monday and Tuesday, with Long Beach, Malibu and Avalon first in line to flood.

The National Weather Service posted High Surf and Coastal Flood advisories for Los Angeles County beaches, FOX 11 reported Friday. Forecasters expected flooding, big surf and dangerous rip currents to last through Wednesday, Sept. 30.

If you live on the Long Beach Peninsula, in Belmont Shore, in Malibu or in Avalon on Catalina Island, Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29, are the days to have sandbags at the door. Those four places topped the forecasters' list of the most vulnerable spots on the coast.

The sandbags are free. Los Angeles Fire Department stations are handing out up to 25 empty bags per household, ready for you to fill.

Long Beach is giving away sand at the Claremont Parking Lot, 5400 E. Ocean Blvd.

Why these tides matter

Surf is forecast at 4 to 7 feet on south-facing beaches. The trouble is the timing. The swells arrive with the highest tides of the stretch, and meteorologists said those tides are running nearly a foot above their normal astronomical levels because of El Niño.

That extra foot means the ocean starts the week one step higher.

Long Beach is already shoring up

Long Beach closed its Peninsula beaches to the public. Crews there are trying out heavy-duty sandbags as a temporary brace for the bulkhead, a pilot project. They're also shoring up the damaged sections of the pedestrian boardwalk.

The protective K-rails at the 72nd Place parking lot are staying in place.

The Long Beach City Council recently signed off on a local emergency declared by City Manager Tom Modica. The declaration gives the city extra administrative powers to respond if severe weather, landslides or damage along the shore get worse, the outlet reported.

How bad it could get

Forecasters were frank about what they couldn't pin down. Polo has only a short window when it sits far enough west for its waves to travel to Southern California without anything in the way, so the size of the surf and the severity of any flooding are hard to call ahead of time.

"There is a significant concern for Coastal Flooding over vulnerable south-facing beaches as a result, but the magnitude is still uncertain," the weather service said.

In the weather service's worst reasonable case, the damage would look like what Hurricane Marie left behind earlier this month. Its most likely case is something milder.

Stay off the sand, and out of the water

Officials asked people to stay off sand berms and keep clear of the heavy machinery working the beaches. They also asked swimmers to stay out of the ocean while high surf warnings are up.

There's a second reason to skip the swim. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health warned people not to swim or surf at select county beaches, where bacteria levels had climbed past state standards.

Long Beach residents can sign up for emergency alerts through Alert Long Beach at alertlb.com. The city of Los Angeles keeps its storm safety guide at emergency.lacity.gov/rain.

Emergency offices along the coast said they'd keep tracking the swells and the weather service's updates all week. Until then, the free sand in Long Beach is at 5400 E. Ocean Blvd., and the bags are at your nearest L.A. fire station.

Source: foxla.com, retrieved September 28, 2026.