Experts examine how climate change will create more King Tides in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — After a storm coupled with record king tides swept the Bay Area, residents are now processing the reality that this can happen again.

“As far as we know, it’s the biggest tide and storm at the same time that we’ve had in about 30 years here,” said Ari Gorman, Larkspur resident.

Over the weekend, a neighborhood in Larkspur flooded. Water entered garages as residents went out in kayaks and paddleboards.

“We had to kind of swim in and out,” said Gorman.

MORE: Here’s what caused the Bay Area’s highest king tides since 1998

With a break in the rain, garages were open, airing out the damage.

“This has been happening for generations as well, so I think this is some of the ongoing things we do with Mother Nature regardless – but yeah, I do expect it will probably get worse than it has been,” said Chris Hecht, Larkspur resident.

Video from the UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience shows a visualization of San Mateo County, an area that faces significant sea-level rise impacts. It is their projection during a 100-year storm. Professor Mike Beck, the Director of the Center, is watching this closely.

“King tides give us a good picture into what future sea levels can look like and the problems that that creates. And in the current events, you can see that those problems, particularly this time of year, are going to be quite commonly coupled with rainwater and strong winds. So, the strong winds are going to be pushing those tidal waters even higher up on us,” said Professor Beck.

With rising sea levels due to climate change, Professor Beck said king tides are to be expected.

VIDEO: ‘It’s been insane’: King Tides, storms bring 4th day of flooding to Marin County

“It’s always going to be this time of year that we’re going to have exceptionally high tides, and so we’re usually talking 2, 3, sometimes, depending upon what we’re looking at is the average, 4 feet of water additional with the high tide,” said Professor Beck.

In San Francisco, king tides led to flooding on the Embarcadero. The Port of San Francisco said it is prepared.

“In terms of the long-term plan, the Port of San Francisco, along with many other city agencies, is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a resilience plan along the waterfront. And what that is going to do is help the city’s waterfront adapt to sea level rise over the next many years. We know that sea level rise is happening and it’s going to get worse with coming years,” said Eric Young, spokesperson for the Port of San Francisco.

Professor Beck is also recommending that cities come up with nature-based solutions.

“We are going to need to defend better, and we should be using nature-based solutions like wetlands, or on the open coast wetlands and dunes, whenever possible. And those can be combined with some of our gray or harder infrastructure, like dikes and seawalls, in some places, and in some places, we’re going to have to be prepared for some realignment of areas that we’ve developed,” said Professor Beck.