The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory for the San Francisco Bay Area effective until 9 AM PST this morning. A minor coastal flooding event was expected during the high tide at 6:40 AM PST today, particularly in low-lying, flood-prone areas adjacent to the San Francisco Bay. According to the NWS alert, the areas affected include North Bay Interior Valleys, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Bay Shoreline.
In detail, the flooding impact was described by the NWS as potentially filling up lots, parks, and roads with only isolated road closures "expected." The tidal levels were "running around 1 foot higher than tidal predictions," leading to flooding predictions during the 6.9 to 7.2 feet high tide peak. Folks were urged to be careful and to not drive around barricades or through waters of unknown depth. This information comes in the wake of instructions to take necessary actions to protect flood-prone property, says the National Weather Service's forecast.
Meanwhile, Mariners were also on alert due to the issuance of a Small Craft Advisory by the National Weather Service. This advisory was to remain in effect until 9 AM PST this morning, with a second advisory to become effective from 9 AM Friday to 3 AM PST Saturday. The advisory included warnings for "seas 8 to 12 ft" and "northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt expected." Coastal waters affected range from Point Pinos to Point Piedras Blancas and up to 10 nm. The forecasts, obtained via the National Weather Service's San Francisco Bay Area X account, warned inexperienced Mariners, in particular, to avoid navigating in these hazardous conditions.
Minor coastal flooding is expected during high tide at 6:40 AM PST Thursday. Low-lying, flood-prone spots adjacent to the San Francisco Bay are likely to experience minor coastal flooding. #CAwx #BayAreaWX pic.twitter.com/9d2UyrZQbY
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 21, 2023
The same source reported additional Small Craft Advisories for waters extending from Point Arena to Point Reyes and from Pigeon Point to Point Pinos with varying wind conditions and sea heights, all signaling potentially hazardous conditions for smaller craft. Mariners were advised to "avoid navigating in hazardous conditions," not looking to get caught in the upcoming bad weather, as stated in a marine weather message from NWS.
Regarding general weather, the Bay Area was on course to dry out as a weak short-wave ridge of high pressure moved overhead, with temperatures expected to warm into the low-to-upper 60s in most places. However, the weather was reported by NWS to take a turn on Friday with the passing of a dry cold front, bringing cooler conditions across the weekend. Looking ahead, unsettled weather is anticipated to return by middle of next week, with the 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook indicating a 50-60% chance of above normal rainfall, as detailed in the Area Forecast Discussion from the NWS website.
