Published October 22, 2026
NEWPORT BEACH | SURF & COAST | OCTOBER 22, 2026
Updated Originally published Oct 22, 2026 · Updated Nov 7, 2026
What changed: On November 4, 2026, Newport Beach warned residents that unusually high king tides expected November 23–27 could produce water levels at least 12 inches above October’s record tide and increase coastal-flooding risks. The City also scheduled a November 10 study session on flood protection, public safety and emergency response plans. How we keep stories current →
Newport is working on a long-range plan for the harbor and the beaches, and the ocean picked a great time to weigh in.
Since this story was written, Newport flooded again Oct. 26–28. The city declared a local emergency, opened its Emergency Operations Center and dealt with record tides that hit 8.4 feet on Oct. 27, according to a Newport Beach Police Department update. The council also approved about 100,000 cubic yards of sand for West Newport, between 36th and 62nd streets.
The Harbor Commission’s Oct. 14 agenda included the draft 2027 Harbor and Beaches Master Plan. A draft doesn’t fix a seawall or clear a storm drain. But it decides which projects get studied, paid for and moved to the front of the line. Final approval is set for a later commission meeting.
After two floods in one month, peninsula locals should read this thing closely. Does it name the streets and seawalls that keep failing? Is there an actual project list with costs and dates, or mostly long-range goals? Does it treat oceanfront erosion and harborside flooding as the different problems they are?
And who gets in line first? Balboa Island, West Newport, Balboa Village and the rest of the harbor don’t have the same problems. A useful plan lets you find your own neighborhood and see what’s coming.
It’s still a draft, not a council decision. Public review should mean something, especially while the sandbags are still out.
Next step for us: get the full draft, list every peninsula project, and line it up against what the city just scrambled to do. That’ll tell us more than any promise to protect the coast.
SOURCE: City of Newport Beach agendas and minutes
This story is checked every 3 days for its first 30 days. When there’s news, we add a dated update here. How we keep stories current →
Help us out, Newport.
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