Local
High tides inundate Marin paths and roads as coastal flood advisory continues
Monday’s high tides flooded low-lying parts of Marin County, trapping a driver and blocking a bicycle route. Forecasters expected higher tides through Thursday, with a coastal flood advisory extended through Friday as the region heads into a forecast wet El Niño season.
High tides flooded low-lying areas of Marin County on Monday, Oct. 26, stranding a driver at a Mill Valley intersection and leaving a route between Tiburon and Sausalito impassable to at least one cyclist.
The water rose quickly, tow truck driver Jon Busenbark said. By the time he arrived from San Rafael, water had reached the trapped vehicle’s wheels and filled its interior.
Cyclist Mandana Sigaroudi, who rode from Tiburon to Sausalito, said flooding on the trail prevented her from returning the same way. Chantz Rivera encountered knee-deep water on a bike path on the final day of his 149-day walk from New York to San Francisco. He removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and walked through the water.
The coastal flood advisory was extended through Friday, with higher tides expected Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Warming ocean temperatures have contributed to sea-level rise, and a forecast for a wet El Niño season could compound coastal flooding risks, according to the report.
Andrea Yelle, a driver caught in the flooding, pointed to climate change as a source of concern, saying, “Who knows what’s going to happen?”