Weekend Of Storms, Flooding Wreaks Havoc On Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Record high tides and heavy rain caused flooding, road closures and vehicle rescues witnessed in many photos over the weekend in parts of Marin County.

A 15-mile section of roadways between Sausalito and San Rafael was inundated. The flooding occurred after heavy rainfall coincided with "King Tides," which were at record-breaking levels.

Stronger gravitational pull causes King Tides, which happen when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned and the moon is at its closest point to Earth.

Authorities responded to cars stranded in 3-to-4-foot-deep water. Some residents kayaked or waded through the swamped streets.

At 8:42 p.m. on Friday, the Fairfax Police Department reported a fallen tree in the area of Meerna and Porteous avenues.

At 10:03 a.m. on Saturday, the Central Marin Police Department reported Doherty Drive in Larkspur from the area of SF Fitness through the west entrance of Redwood High School in Larkspur was closed due to flooding.

At 10:24 a.m the same day, the San Rafael Police Department shut down an area of Pt. San Pedro Road because of flooding. Later that day around 2 p.m. flooding had increased in that location, including the Canal area.

At 3:06 p.m. on Saturday, Lucky Drive in Corte Madera and Larkspur had become overwhelmed with traffic following the closure of a portion of Highway 101, Redwood Highway near Trader Joes and areas in Lucky Drive, according to the CMPD.

At 8:29 p.m. on Saturday, the MIll Valley Police Department warned residents to prepare for an upcoming tidal surge expected to hit low lying areas.

At 11:43 a.m. on Sunday, the following roadways were closed due to flooding: Lucky Drive, Fifer Avenue, Doherty Drive at Redwood High School and Riviera Circle, according to the CMPD. Police also advised residents to avoid the area of Redwood highway at Wornum Drive due to standing water.

At around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, a widespread phone service outage, disrupting both 911 and nonemergency lines, was caused by flooding at an AT&T communications hub in San Rafael.

At 1 a.m. on Monday, 911 services were restored to Marin County.

On Monday, the Bay Area faced another day of coastal flooding from king tides, storm surge and returning rain. The National Weather Service extended a coastal flood advisory, warning that low-lying shoreline areas, roads, and parks are at risk of inundation before drier weather arrives later this week.