Exceptionally high king tides could flood San Rafael's low-lying streets and neighborhoods starting Sunday, Aug. 9, with NOAA forecasting five days of elevated water levels through Thursday, Aug. 13.
Marin County officials warned that recent king tides have run 0.4 to 0.8 feet higher than predicted because of warmer ocean water and windy conditions, according to Patch. The highest tides are expected during the evenings of Aug. 9 through Tuesday, Aug. 11, and shortly after midnight on Aug. 13.
The risk is real. The warning carries particular urgency for San Rafael's Canal neighborhood, where king tides mixed with storm surge on Jan. 3 sent bay water spilling onto eastern San Rafael roads, flooding homes and damaging vehicles and businesses. The Canal district, a 2.2-square-mile area home to more than 13,000 residents, sits largely below daily high tide levels on landfill that continues to sink.
"We saw it during the high tides in January. Many of our streets and other areas are lower than the bay, and so when the bay is high, we see the saltwater enter the city," Kate Hagemann, San Rafael's adaptation planner, said at a June 1 City Council meeting when presenting the city's sea-level rise feasibility study, as reported by the Marin Independent Journal.
The current Super El Niño is compounding the threat. Mark Merrifield, director of the Scripps Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, said at an Aug. 4 town hall hosted by state Sen. Mike McGuire that scientists expect "likely the highest sea levels ever recorded on the California coast" from this El Niño event, according to SFGate. Elevated open-coast water pushes bay levels higher in tandem, Merrifield said.
Corte Madera also issued a king tide advisory for the same five-day window, confirming the regional scope of the forecast.
How to prepare
County officials and the City of San Rafael urge residents to take these steps before Sunday:
- Clear debris from gutters, storm drains and driveways
- Use sandbags where appropriate
- Avoid parking in low-lying areas
- Secure loose outdoor materials
- Never drive or walk through floodwaters
- Obey all road closure signs and barricades
During January's king tide event, the city offered free sandbags at four locations: Terra Linda Community Center (670 Del Ganado Road), Menzies Parking Lot (1428 Mission Avenue), Peacock Gap Park (699 Biscayne Drive) and Boro Community Center East Parking Lot (50 Canal Street). Residents should check cityofsanrafael.org/storms to confirm current availability.
As we reported July 20, Marin County approved $250,000 for El Niño flood preparation after January's flooding.
Residents can sign up for emergency alerts at alertmarin.org and find flood preparedness resources at emergency.marincounty.org.
