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El Niño’s Record High Tides Are Flooding Bay Area Highways
Gizmodo • • nation
Key Points:
- Marin County’s Shoreline Highway experienced rapid tidal flooding, with waters reaching two feet deep, signaling ongoing coastal hazards in the Bay Area through October and Halloween due to El Niño effects.
- Northern California is facing widespread tidal flooding from San Pablo Bay to Monterey, with record-high tides impacting commuter routes and trapping motorists in low-lying neighborhoods.
- California fire departments warn that saltwater flooding poses a significant risk to electric vehicles by causing battery short circuits that can lead to dangerous thermal runaway fires.
- A UC Davis report estimates that flooding and potential levee breaches near San Pablo Bay could cause economic damages of $1.5 million per day, with several coastal areas at risk of catastrophic flooding this winter without government intervention.
- Experts caution that upcoming king tides and storm events during the historic El Niño winter could exacerbate flooding impacts, threatening infrastructure including San Francisco International Airport and major highways along the coast.
