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King Tides and Storm Surge Prompt Coastal Flood Advisory for Bay Area Through Sunday

Forecasters attribute the heightened risk to a rare celestial alignment combined with an incoming low-pressure system.

People walk on the sand at La Jolla Shores beach during a low king tide at sunset on Jan. 12, 2024 in San Diego, Calif.
A Port of San Francisco worker surveys a walkway at Pier 14 while placing cones to alert people of the flooding as the king tides arrive on Dec. 3, 2021. King tides are coming to the Bay Area this weekend, potentially raising the high tide to 8 feet.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect through Sunday afternoon for much of the Bay Area and Central Coast. Here, king tides flood a bike path in Mill Valley on Dec. 6. 
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Overview

  • The National Weather Service’s Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect through 2 p.m. Sunday for the Pacific coastline and the shorelines of San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay and Monterey Bay from Sonoma to Monterey counties.
  • In San Francisco, peak morning tides on Friday and Saturday are forecast near 8 feet above mean lower low water, roughly 2.2 feet above normal, while Monterey’s levels could approach the city’s 1983 record.
  • Strong southerly winds tied to the approaching system may add up to about a foot of storm surge, with hazardous surf and wave heights near 15 feet expected by Friday.
  • A wet pattern is underway, with an atmospheric river late Friday into early Saturday bringing 1–3 inches of rain for many areas and higher totals in coastal ranges, plus gusts of 45–55 mph along the coast and in higher terrain.
  • Minor coastal flooding of low-lying roads, parks and parking lots is expected during high tides, and officials urge residents to avoid driving through floodwaters, monitor local alerts and use sandbag resources where available.