California waves damage homes as Tropical Storm Rachel nears

Powerful waves damaged homes and streets along Southern California's coast Friday as Tropical Storm Rachel approached the California-Mexico border, where the National Weather Service expected a rare West Coast landfall early Sunday.

The storm was forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain that could cause more damage and coastal flooding. The National Weather Service said damaging seawater flooding remained likely over the weekend in areas including Long Beach and Malibu, with morning high tides of more than seven feet common.

In Long Beach, sections of the boardwalk crumbled under pounding waves and several homes suffered serious structural damage. Local officials had distributed sandbags earlier in the week to residents in vulnerable communities.

Rachel had weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Ciliberti told AFP that it still threatened coastal hazards including flooding, with risk expected to peak around Sunday morning.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for all of San Diego County, which borders Mexico. The watch marked only the second time such an alert has been issued in California.

The latest National Weather Service advisory said Rachel's maximum sustained winds were near 45 miles per hour, with higher gusts.

Rachel is part of an unusually active Pacific hurricane season affected by the recurring El Nino pattern. US climate prediction scientists reported this week that the likelihood of the pattern reaching strong-to-very strong levels into winter was 83 percent.

Another factor adding to flood risk is a Kelvin wave along the US West Coast, a broad swell that can raise sea levels by up to a foot and worsen coastal threats.