Coastal flood advisory issued for San Francisco Bay through Wednesday

A 2-foot push of king-tide water put the San Francisco Bay shoreline under a coastal flood advisory through Wednesday morning, with the National Weather Service warning that low-lying areas could see flooding in lots, parks and roads. Forecasters said the flooding was expected to stay minor, but even isolated road closures could disrupt commutes, parking and shoreline access across San Francisco County and nearby Bay Area waterfronts.

The weather service said the maximum inundation could reach 2.0 feet during high tide, enough to flood the most vulnerable low spots along the San Francisco Bay Shoreline. The advisory covered a broad Bay Area coastal flooding event tied to unusually high seasonal tides, with minor flooding also possible around other exposed shoreline stretches, including San Pablo Bay. In its forecast discussion, the weather service said higher than normal high tides were expected to bring minor coastal flooding to low-lying coastal areas.

That risk was drawing extra attention because this week’s water levels were expected to challenge or even exceed the current summer tide record of 1.7 feet, set in July 2022. KQED reported that the tidal extremes were expected to build through Friday before easing back toward normal over the weekend, underscoring how long the high-water threat could linger for waterfront neighborhoods and travel routes.

The same weather pattern also created hazardous beach conditions through Tuesday, with sneaker waves and strong rip currents along the coast. The weather service urged people to stay back from the water’s edge and off jetties and piers, warning that sneaker waves can sweep across the shoreline without warning. That combination of high tides, rough surf and low-lying flooding has become a recurring king-tide hazard for Bay Area communities, repeatedly testing shoreline neighborhoods, access roads and park edges whenever the tide swings high.