California is no stranger to meteorological drama, but this year’s turn of the calendar brought some of the most striking coastal flooding in decades — thanks to the phenomenon known as “king tides.” These astronomical high tides, when paired with the relentless parade of severe winter storms, have left communities along the Golden State’s coast grappling with record-setting floods, power outages, and widespread disruptions.

What Are King Tides?

King tides occur a few times each year, when the gravitational forces of the moon and sun align with Earth, pulling the ocean’s water higher onto shorelines. While king tides are entirely predictable — they’re dictated by the positions of celestial bodies — their impacts become much more severe when they coincide with other adverse weather, such as heavy rain or onshore winds, that raises sea levels still further.

These tides act as a living laboratory for the near-future effects of rising sea levels due to climate change. They regularly transform placid beaches and coastal roads into temporary lakes and rivers, providing a stark preview of what could become the norm in coming decades.

Record Floods and New High Watermarks

This year’s king tide fell precisely as a series of powerful winter storms battered Northern California, soaking already-saturated soils and overwhelming urban drainage systems. The Bay Area, in particular, saw flooding records shattered; Martinez, Richmond, and Redwood City all topped 2.5 feet of coastal inundation, with Point Reyes experiencing its highest tide since 1998[3]. In San Francisco, water levels reached the city’s fourth-highest tide on record.

Images from Marin County show highways and bike paths transformed into waterways. Residents in Mill Valley were spotted kayaking down the Mill Valley-Sausalito Path, which was fully submerged. Cars sloshed through flooded stretches of Highway 101, while entire neighborhoods donned boots and rain gear to navigate streets inundated by a day when the celestial mechanics dialed California’s vulnerability up to eleven[1].

Why So Severe This Year?

The impact was twofold: first, the king tides brought water levels well above the daily norm, and second, weeks of heavy rain had left soils saturated, reducing their ability to absorb further precipitation. Meteorologists noted that with the ground unable to accept more water, even a moderate rainstorm could threaten catastrophic surface flooding — something that did indeed manifest across the region[3].

Severe weather did not hit just the Bay Area. Further south in Santa Barbara County, torrential rains triggered mudslides and closed highways throughout the weekend, with some regions seeing over four inches of rain in just two days[4]. Power outages followed, as wind and water toppled trees and damaged infrastructure, leaving thousands without electricity[5].

The Climate Connection: More Extremes Ahead?

Experts note that California’s weather has always swung between feast and famine, but climate change seems to be amplifying these oscillations. “These recent swings have been at the upper end, beyond what we’ve seen in the historical record,” says Dr. Daniel Swain, research meteorologist at UCLA[2]. The combination of king tides and increasingly intense storm cycles may become a more frequent threat, as rising global temperatures fuel greater extremes in precipitation, runoff, and sea levels.

Looking Forward

While the abundant storms have, for now, eased drought conditions and snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is replenished, the ongoing risk of flooding, landslides, and infrastructure strain remains high as winter progresses[2]. For coastal Californians, king tides are a dramatic reminder of Mother Nature’s awesome power — and of the pressing need to plan for a climate future where today’s astronomical tides may look all too ordinary.