Several drivers were rescued from floating cars in Marin County after repeated coastal flooding this autumn. Forecasters warned of further inundation through 29 October.
High-tide flooding has submerged streets, flooded homes and businesses, and disrupted road and train routes from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area. Several drivers were rescued from floating cars in Marin County, north of San Francisco, The Guardian said in its 28 October report.
The flooding follows repeated coastal inundation in southern California over the past two months. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records show that Los Angeles had logged 12 coastal flood days in 2026 by 28 October—more than in any full year in the preceding 50 years.
In Marin County, kayakers and paddleboarders travelled along normally busy roads on Monday and Tuesday. Cyclists attempting to cross flooded areas found themselves waist-deep in water. Farther south, the Pacific Coast Highway was closed in Huntington Beach’s Sunset Beach community on 27 October.
In Newport Beach, seawater seeped through earth barriers, seawalls and sandbag defences installed along the shoreline.
Climate scientist Daniel Swain attributed the elevated waters to a record-breaking ocean heatwave, which causes seawater to expand, layered on top of sea-level rise driven by human-caused climate change.
In its 28 October outlook, the National Weather Service forecast significant coastal flooding during high tides in San Diego and Orange counties through 29 October. It warned that roads could close and low-lying homes, businesses and critical infrastructure would be inundated. In Los Angeles, it forecast a moderate flood risk into the weekend, with tides beginning to fall after Thursday.
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This week’s flooding occurred before the highest predicted tides of the year, known as king tides. Those are expected around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and again around 20–23 January 2027.
I would expect these water levels to be exceeded multiple times this winter.
Swain warned that a strong storm arriving while coastal waters are high could cause disastrous flooding.
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