After weeks of unusually heavy rain, California continues to face an unusually wet winter.
The latest flooding for the state has arrived in Northern California, where a rare combination of king tides and heavy rains have flooded streets.
King tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment and the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.
With record-breaking tides around the Bay Area, high water prompted road closures and flooded neighborhoods most notably in Marin County.
Roadways through a 15-mile stretch from the Sausalito area to San Rafael were flooded, and authorities were called to rescue drivers who got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet.
AP Photo/Ethan Swope
The Associated Press spoke with Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins who said, “There is a lot of water in the roadways.”
He added that the tides were reportedly the highest in more than two decades.
“Along with heavy rains, it just created the perfect storm for flooding on the streets,” Dobbins said.
Authorities in the affected communities, which are north of San Francisco, asked people to stay home until waters recede. Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees.
To the south in Santa Barbara County, roads were closed due to flooding and a key highway was blocked near Goleta due to a series of mudslides. A man died after he was swept into a creek during the storm, the county sheriff’s office said.
A flood advisory was in place for the San Francisco area until 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, and repeated rounds of rain were expected throughout the state on Sunday and Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.