Coastal Flood — San Francisco, California

2026-01-03 · San Francisco, California

Event narrative

Video posted on social media showed high tides flooding a plaza northeast of the Embarcadero near Pier 14.

Wider weather episode

High astronomical tides combined with storm surge based off westerly swell and strong winds contributed to major coastal flooding impacts during the first few days of January. Impacts were seen across the coastal regions of the Bay Area and Central Coast, including locations of the Pacific coast that were typically insulated from the impacts of tidal flooding. A Coastal Flood Advisory was put in place starting December 31 through January 5, initially for the San Francisco and Monterey Bays but eventually including the Pacific Coast. A Coastal Flood Warning was put in place for January 2 and 3 for the San Francisco and San Pablo Bayshore areas. The San Francisco tide gauge reached 8.40 feet above MLLW on January 3, which would make it the fourth highest water level at the station on record.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1299229. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.