Rain and king tides continue to flood Bay Area communities

Winds, powerful king tides assail the Bay Area

High tides and rains have cause flooding in communities across the San Francisco Bay Area.

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. - King tides and precipitation are continuing to cause flooding in Bay Area communities Saturday, with significant pooling occurring in northern areas such as Marin County.

Local perspective:

Laine Hendricks, Public Information Officer for the County of Marin, told KTVU that Saturday’s flooding was comparable to the previous day’s, and that it was occurring in areas that the county had anticipated, namely Lucky Drive in Larkspur, North San Pedro Road near Chinacamp and Manzanita in Southern Marin.

"We were lucky last night’s rain came at low tide, and now that it’s high tide there, there’s very little precipitation," Hendricks said.

Still, flooding in the area of Lucky Drive was significant enough to cause furniture to float down the street, and vehicles traveling in the area were forced to drive through several inches of water.

Floodwaters shut down Hwy 101

It did not take long for Saturday's flooding, largely caused by the king tide late Saturday morning, to turn Highway 101 into a waterlogged mess. 

"King tide was at 11:08, so it started to get real high around then," said Battalion Chief Brian Peterson of the Central Marin Fire Department. 

Those floodwaters, also fueled by this week's heavy rains, quickly filled all eight lanes of traffic near the Larkspur/Corte Madera line. 

What they're saying:

"The flooding is extremely intense. I've never seen anything like it," said Lily Crawford of Larkspur, whose car got stuck on the highway. 

"I've driven through here before with lots of splashing and water kind of sitting on the ground, but I've never seen--it looks like a lake over here," said Nick Moore of San Rafael. 

As southbound drivers approached the exit at Lucky Drive, they held their breath as their cars plunged into a couple feet of water. 

"I drive through, and my car stops," said Crawford. 

"I guess the water was a little too deep for my car and it stalled," said Moore. 

Many of those drivers found that their cars wouldn't start again. 

"No, not at all," said Crawford.

"Now here I am trying to get a jump and I don't think that's going to work, so I'm probably going to have to tow it," said Moore.

Traffic snarls as crews mobilize to help drivers

The California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and the Central Marin Fire Department quickly mobilized to help get all those people and cars to safety. 

"We always prepare for an impact like this, but this is a rare occurrence," said Peterson. 

That operation lasted for hours--as the floodwaters slowly receded. 

The southbound side of Highway 101 was closed entirely for a couple of hours, with northbound traffic barely getting by--causing backups for miles. 

A coastal flood warning was established for the area on Friday, and remains in effect for the San Francisco Bay through 2 p.m. Saturday. (Jaden Schaul)

The backstory:

A coastal flood warning was established for the area on Friday, and remains in effect for the San Francisco Bay through 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said up to 2.5 feet of inundation is possible in low-lying areas near shorelines.

Responders closed Lucky Drive in Larkspur shortly after 9 a.m. Friday, ahead of the peak high tide. In some areas, nearly 3 feet of standing water was reported.

Meteorologists said this week’s king tides are being amplified by a supermoon and the alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon, which creates a strong gravitational pull and leads to higher-than-normal tide levels.