In Marin County, flooding stranded motorists and stopped paddling Saturday in areas where bicyclists normally pedal. In San Francisco, thunderstorms drenched spectators at the Embarcadero and Crissy Field.
Elsewhere, the storm forced other road closures in Alameda County and in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.
John Borges surveyed the flooded intersection and his friend’s Toyota pickup just past the Grand Patrol gas station at 101 De Silva Island Drive in Mill Valley.
“I didn’t expect that,” he said, of the impact of the weekend’s king tide, which flooded many low-lying areas in Mill Valley, as well as the Embarcadero in San Francisco and other places around the Bay Area.
Oliver Ocampo, 5, of Sunnyvale plays in the water during king tide near the ferry building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Saturday. “I wish I had my rainbow,” said her mother, Sharon Hong. “It will be fun to play with him.” (Yalonda M. James/SF Chronicle)
The supermoon’s trifecta, strong winds and heavy rain from an incoming storm system resulted in high tides 2.5 feet above normal Saturday morning — the highest tide since Feb. 6, 1998, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass. Flooding was reported in Marin County, Sonoma County, Alameda County, San Mateo County and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Although it took hours for the flood waters to recede, the tide peaked after 10:30 am on Saturday. San Francisco’s record high tide was 2.8 feet on January 27, 1998.
High tides issued a coastal flood warning for much of the Bay Area and Central Coast until 2 p.m. Sunday. Strong king tides and strong winds sent seawater over roads, parks and other low-lying areas. Floodwaters forced the closure of 2-foot-deep sections of Interstate 80 west of the metering light near Oakland’s Bay Bridge and other roads in Corte Madera, as well as several roads in Sonoma County.
The storm sent high waves over the coastal jetties at Pacifica and Half Moon Bay and the walkways at Pier 14 of San Francisco’s Embarcadero, drenching onlookers.
Severe flooding has disrupted traffic in Southern California. Southbound Highway 101 in Gaviota (Santa Barbara County) was closed Saturday morning due to mud and flooding covering all lanes.
Noah Dorfman walks Molly along the floodway during King Tide in Mill Valley on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle)
Mill Valley was particularly hard hit, with flooding stranding motorists and forcing intersection closures.
Borges, 28, got the call at 10:30 a.m. when King’s tide was at its peak.
His friend tried to drive his Toyota pickup through the flooded intersection and got stuck until local firefighters helped him out.
Borges lives on a houseboat in Sausalito and is used to king tides, he said, but he and his friend didn’t realize how bad the flooding would be at gas station intersections.
“We’re just waiting for the water to go down to get a tow truck,” he said.
At Camino Alto and Miller Avenue, Mill Valley Department of Public Works crews blocked the flooded intersection.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen anything this bad,” said Mark Bartel, who started working at the department six months ago.
People protect themselves from the rain at Pier 14 in San Francisco on Saturday. (Yalonda M. James/SF Chronicle)
The department had to close other roads for minor flooding two months ago, but “nothing like this,” he said, waving to a motorist in the adjacent Safeway parking lot.
A few yards down the road, Jane Bennett, 53, and Marianne Kabir, 56, were walking to pick up their sons from basketball practice.
“You can’t even go to high school,” Bennett said.
The day before, she tried to go for a run, only to find her usual trails underwater.
Kabir looked on the bright side. All the floods had brought out the flocks of birds.
“It’s really beautiful,” she said.
Eli Ferrell, left, and brothers Conor and Brett Cardinal prepare to launch a canoe through swollen Coyote Creek during a king tide in Mill Valley on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/SF Chronicle)
At Equator Coffee, further down Almonte Boulevard, baristas fielded calls from customers wondering if the shop could be reached. Julia Fahl, 36, was picking up her morning coffee and chatting with the barista. He had to leave home much earlier than usual to work at the Proof Lab surf shop. When she arrived at work, she found the store under 4 inches of water.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” she said with a laugh. “Everybody’s in a panic, nobody knows how to drive through it – I saw a car with water up to the window at the Holiday Inn (on nearby Shoreline Highway). Did you really think you could drive through there?”
Forecasters said another period of minor coastal flooding was expected late Sunday morning, although it would not be as severe as Saturday’s water levels.
Meteorologists say the tide level will be about half a foot lower than Saturday’s flood. By Monday, coastal flood advisories are expected to be lifted.
This article was originally published ‘Worst I’ve Seen It’: Bay Area Flooding Closes Roads, Strands Motorists.
