Unusually high king tides, made worse by winds from a storm offshore, put cars and businesses underwater in the San Francisco area on Saturday.
“A full moon occurred on Saturday, and tides are typically higher than average around that time as the Earth, sun and moon are all aligned,” explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. “This causes their gravitational pulls to combine and produce higher tides.”
Cars drive on highway 101 flooded by the “King Tides”, occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office performed water rescues when cars became stuck in water that was 3 to 4 feet high. Highway 101 was flooded in both directions in Corte Madera. Several area roads were closed.
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Tides at Redwood City hit 2.70 feet, the highest on record; Martinez recorded 2.46 feet, a new record, and 2.67 feet was measured at Richmond, setting a new record there. Other local tidal stations, including downtown San Francisco, didn’t set records but were among the top 5 highest tides recorded.
A person paddle boards along a flooded street caused by the king tides Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Sausalito, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Unrelated to the tides, a man was killed after he was swept into a rain-swollen creek in Santa Barbara County on Saturday.