Rachel's remnant center moved ashore in northern Baja California late Saturday and swept into Southern California overnight, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and dangerous coastal flooding on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center warned of "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" along the coasts of Southern California and northern Baja California through Monday, while the Weather Prediction Center posted a Level 3-of-4 flash flood risk stretching from Southern California into southern Nevada, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona.
In the desert, the rain arrived fast and heavy. Twenty-four-hour totals as of 5 a.m. Sunday reached 1.8 inches in Indio, 1.22 inches in Desert Hot Springs and 1.2 inches in Palm Springs, according to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. Palm Springs police closed several streets in flood-prone wash areas early Sunday, while Caltrans imposed a hard closure on northbound U.S. 95 near Blythe. Much of the Coachella Valley stayed under a flood watch until 8 p.m. Sunday, with a wind advisory running until Monday morning.
The storm also ruined a Saturday night out in Indio, where the Head Trip EDM festival was evacuated around 9 p.m. and its evening performances were canceled after the National Weather Service warned of lightning in the area.
Farther inland, the threat spread across the holiday weekend. The Level 3 flash flood risk covered parts of southern Nevada including Las Vegas, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona, where forecasters expected numerous flash flood events. San Diego and Las Vegas could each see an inch or more of rain — roughly double the entire average October rainfall in San Diego and triple the average in Las Vegas. Dry desert ground cannot absorb such bursts quickly, which makes flash flooding the main danger. With extra visitors in the region for the long weekend, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Arches parks all faced elevated flooding concerns. Peak gusts were expected to reach 20 to 40 mph around San Diego — up to 60 mph in the mountains — and up to 65 mph inland across Arizona, southern Nevada and Utah.
Along the coast, the situation was just as tense. A coastal flood warning ran from the Malibu coast and Los Angeles County beaches down through San Diego County until Sunday afternoon, with the worst conditions expected around high tides near 9 to 10 a.m. and again around 10 p.m. Pacific time. Newport Beach closed all of its beaches, and Long Beach ordered evacuations in flood-prone areas as the storm approached, according to reports. Long Beach and Malibu were singled out as especially at risk of damaging seawater flooding.
The coastal flooding was amplified by a near-record strong super El Niño, which has kept West Coast sea levels running higher than average for months, plus large swells from powerful offshore Pacific hurricanes. The Hurricane Center said major coastal flooding had already been occurring in some areas, "with observed water levels running as much as 1.5 feet above predictions," and warned that hazardous coastal conditions could continue into next week even after Rachel fades.
Saturday was only the second time on record that San Diego has been placed under a tropical storm watch. The first came during Hurricane Hilary in 2023, the year forecasters began issuing tropical alerts for the region.
Rachel spent roughly 12 days crossing the eastern Pacific, briefly reaching Category 3 strength on October 2 before weakening and turning sharply northeast toward the northern Baja California Peninsula. Its remnant low was then expected to merge with an upper-level trough over California, dragging tropical moisture into the Desert Southwest and Great Basin through Sunday and Monday.
Rachel's arrival capped a crowded storm weekend. On the other side of the country, the remnants of Hurricane Isaias — the Atlantic season's first and record-late hurricane — were pushing through the Tennessee Valley and Carolinas after making landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 storm on Friday night.
As Rachel's moisture pushes farther inland, the flash flood threat will follow into Arizona, Nevada and Utah before the system breaks apart. But forecasters say coastal residents should stay alert well past the storm's exit: with the Pacific still energized and sea levels running high, the next high tide could bring flooding on its own.