King Tides May Cause Flooding in Low-Lying Coastal Areas

The first set of King Tides, the highest astronomical tides of the year, is expected to impact the region’s coastal areas Tuesday morning, which may cause flooding in low-lying areas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Coast Guard officials said a mixture of forecasted colder temperatures, strong winds and precipitation may serve as an impetus for a potentially dangerous tidal situation, which the National Weather Service expects to last through Thursday.

Combined with rainwater runoff, strong onshore winds and larger surf, the high tides are likely to cause flooding in low-lying coastal areas around San Francisco and Monterey bays, Coast Guard officials said.

Some of the affected areas could apparently include beaches, low-lying roads, trails, docks harbors and tidal flats.

“We encourage all persons on or around the coast to remain especially cautious during this storm system,” Andrew Cohen, command duty officer at the Coast Guard’s San Francisco sector, said in a statement.

“We stand ready to respond if boaters and beachgoers find themselves in distress,” Cohen added.

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock