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King Tides and Storm Surge Drive Bay Area Coastal Flooding as Weekend Storm Intensifies

The National Weather Service keeps flood warnings in place because king tides plus storm surge threaten saturated shorelines.

A car flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Cars drive on highway 101 flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People wade through an rv park flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People wade through an rv park flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Overview

  • A Coastal Flood Warning for the San Francisco Bay shoreline runs through 2 p.m. Saturday, with a wind advisory in effect for much of the region through 1 p.m., and broader coastal flood advisories posted through Sunday.
  • Forecasters expect up to about 2.5 feet of inundation in low-lying areas during Saturday morning's peak high tide, boosted by an estimated 1.3-foot storm surge.
  • Marin County saw tidal flooding in Corte Madera, Larkspur, Mill Valley and Sausalito, prompting closures on Lucky Drive, Miller Avenue, Doherty Drive and Highway 101 ramps, with some evacuations near Gate 5 Road.
  • Sustained southerly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40–50 mph and rounds of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms are forecast through Monday, raising risks of downed trees and power outages.
  • Recent storms have left soils saturated across Northern and Central California, increasing runoff, ponding and landslide hazards as additional waves of rain reach the Central Coast and San Diego County this weekend.