New York Post, on Climate, 31 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Aftermath of devastating Huntington Beach flooding revealed — as city warns of even more damage

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Monster king tides battered Huntington Beach this week, damaging more than 100 structures, forcing evacuations and leaving residents scrambling to clean up before another potentially destructive surge hits next month. The coastal flooding damaged approximately 114 buildings, including six homes that were slapped with yellow tags restricting access because of safety concerns, the city reported . In one particularly alarming incident, saltwater came into contact with a lithium-ion battery, sparking a fire inside one structure. 8 People paddle board in coastal floodwaters during high tide along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Getty Images 8 Morgan Wynne paddles near his home during high tide coastal flooding in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Getty Images Explore More Ilhan Omar was so confused by marriage to ‘brother’ she crossed out her own name twice on official application NYC tenant from hell won’t stop terrorizing young families — owes $88K in rent, wild lawsuit claims ‘Queen bee’ cheerleader accused of luring beau to his death begs for leniency — so she can enjoy living on campus 8 Dani Wynne, right, walks in coastal floodwaters near her residence during high tide flooding in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Getty Images The damage prompted an extensive emergency response as city crews raced to protect vulnerable coastal neighborhoods from the surging seawater. “In anticipation of the flooding, the City took proactive steps to protect our coastal communities, particularly Sunset Beach and Huntington Harbour. We activated our Mobile Command Post and strategically deployed emergency response resources into areas expected to be impacted,” the city said Thursday.

The flooding was largely driven by powerful King Tides, which occur when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth and aligns with the sun during a new or full moon, producing unusually high water levels. The monster tides didn’t just swamp coastal homes and neighborhoods. They also turned stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway into a watery mess Tuesday. 8 A man surfs through floodwaters in Huntington Beach, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong 8 In an aerial view, workers and residents walk through floodwaters in Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Getty Images PCH was shut down in both directions between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, while Orange County Metrolink service was suspended Monday between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside. In Newport Beach, knee-deep floodwaters surged through residential streets and poured into homes, leaving some motorists stranded as vehicles became partially submerged. 8 Dani Wynne looks out from her home with her dog Little Dude during high tide flooding in Huntington Beach, California, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Getty Images 8 James Hays pulls his paddleboard through floodwaters on the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Crews scrambled to hold back the rising water, deploying pumps and piling up sand berms to reinforce vulnerable sections of the coastline against the pounding waves. These latest incidents come just weeks after Tropical Storm Rachel swept across California, wrecking homes and boardwalks.

In Long Beach, the waves ripped along the city’s century-old boardwalk. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News : Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X , YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters : Sign up here! California Post App : Download here! Home delivery : Sign up here!

Page Six Hollywood : Sign up here! 8 Alexandra Cifuentes sits on sandbags in front of her home as high tide coastal flooding impacts Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Getty Images Newport Beach also declared a local emergency Oct. 9 after powerful swells and elevated tides sent seawater spilling across the Balboa Peninsula, stranding motorists and partially submerging vehicles. According to experts, .

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What we found (1)

The New York Post reports king tide flooding that damaged about 114 buildings in Huntington Beach, closed the Pacific Coast Highway and flooded Newport Beach, with damage figures that match other reporting. The Post mentions a recent tropical storm and warns of coming El Niño storms but never says that warming makes such storms more severe, a minor gap in a story about tidal flooding.

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Minor

    “this week’s coastal carnage is only a preview of more violent El Niño storms set to come this winter”

    Why this matters
    The Post closes its flood story by putting the coming storms down to El Niño alone. Earlier it explains the flooding only through the moon and the sun (S10) and mentions Tropical Storm Rachel (S20), with no word on warming.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away thinking the flooding and the storms are purely natural cycles, with nothing to do with a warming climate.
    The context
    The documented record shows that human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe. Those are the storm types the article itself ties to this flooding and to the damage still to come. The article never uses the words climate or warming.

    How we know

    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • Elsewhere in the article“Tropical Storm Rachel swept across California, wrecking homes and boardwalks”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.

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