UPDATED: Evacuation order issued for neighborhoods near Carmel Lagoon; Highway 1 closed at Monastery Beach.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Department issued an evacuation order just after 8:30am Thursday, Jan. 5 for the neighborhoods just west of Mission Fields, near the Carmel Lagoon. The order includes areas south of 14th Avenue and east of Carmelo Street. The order is in place until further notice.

UPDATE: The order was downgraded to a warning just after 2:30pm today, Jan. 5.

UPDATE: Neighborhoods to the north of the evacuation order, 4th Avenue and Carmel Point, are also under an evacuation warning. For more information, see the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services map found here. 

UPDATE: The streets in the warning area include east of Valley View Avenue, south of Santa Lucia Avenue, west of Rio Road, north of Dolores Street/14th Avenue/17th Avenue. Officials are advising people to be ready to go if an order is issued. However, if people do not feel safe, officials say they should leave immediately.

An evacuation center for those impacted is located at Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel.

Flooding has also resulted in the full closure of Highway 1 near Monastery Beach south of Carmel Meadows, Caltrans announced. There is no estimated time of reopening. Waves are reaching the roadway, according to Caltrans.

Two years ago, the Mission Fields neighborhood flooded on Jan. 28, 2021 during a rainstorm that caused the lagoon to overflow. Water was waist deep at the southern end of Monte Verde Street. Firefighters in wetsuits rescued people from their homes during the flooding. 

The same neighborhood flooded significantly in 1995 and 1998.