Monterey Bay faces coastal flood advisory through Thursday

Tides near Monterey Bay could reach close to 7 feet this week as a full moon combines with sea levels already well above normal.

The elevated tides are expected from Sunday, Oct. 25, through Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to KSBW meteorologist Kyle Bergerson, who reported Oct. 23 that water levels were running about 1.25 feet above a normal high tide for the current moon phase. With the full moon arriving Sunday night, Bergerson said the higher tide would be close to 7 feet.

A coastal flood advisory for the Monterey Bay area took effect Saturday morning, Oct. 24, and runs through 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, the Los Angeles Times reported. The National Weather Service warned of up to 1.9 feet of inundation above ground level near shorelines and tidal waterways in the Monterey Bay area, with rising tides bringing waves farther up the beach than normal.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that National Weather Service meteorologist Karleisa Rogacheski said Bay Area tides were expected to reach 1.4 feet above normal on Saturday, Oct. 24, and peak midweek. An earlier round of high tides this month measured 1.73 feet above normal and caused minor flooding in low-lying areas of Marin County.

Several overlapping forces are driving the surge. California's coast is near the peaks of long-running lunar tidal cycles that amplify high tides, and record-warm ocean waters fueled by El Niño are expanding sea levels, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Unlike earlier coastal flooding this fall driven by swells from the remnants of hurricanes Marie and Rachel, the coming days will lack those tropical storm-influenced swells. The tides themselves, however, will be higher, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Doug George, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Los Angeles Times that conditions are serious. "The warning and advisories are real," George said.

The threat does not end this week. Even higher tides are expected in November, December and January, the traditional king-tide timeframe, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. If those tides coincide with strong winter storms, the coast could take a harder hit.

The National Weather Service advised travelers not to drive around barricades or through flooded roadways of unknown depth.