CALIFORNIA — October 27, 2026. Extraordinary coastal high tides brought seawater onto roadways and waterfront walkways from Marin County to San Diego on Tuesday, cutting off access to parts of San Francisco’s Embarcadero, forcing detours near Highway 101, flooding neighborhoods in Newport Beach and prompting closures of Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1) around Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. In San Diego, officials confirmed temporary flooding of downtown West Harbor Drive. This coastal event unfolded even without widespread heavy rain.

Images of people kayaking on flooded California roads have circulated online. But there are two separately documented incidents with different dates and places: a person in a kayak near the Shoreline Highway/US 101 interchange in Marin City on Monday, October 26, and a person kayaking on a flooded Huntington Beach residential roadway on Tuesday, October 27. There is no verified basis to present either image as a person paddling down an open travel lane of the US 101 freeway on October 27.

At a glance: Where did flooding actually occur?

  • Marin County: renewed road flooding in Mill Valley, flood-related restrictions in Larkspur and Marin City area, and impacts near US 101 ramps.
  • San Francisco: the Embarcadero flooded near Pier 14; a portion of waterfront sidewalk and bike-lane access was closed.
  • Orange County: water reached Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula and harbor, Sunset Beach/Huntington Harbour streets, and portions of PCH around Huntington Beach and Seal Beach.
  • Los Angeles County: high-tide flooding affected Long Beach waterfront neighborhoods and Redondo Beach’s International Boardwalk/King Harbor area.
  • San Diego County: the Port confirmed flooding October 26–27 and a temporary West Harbor Drive closure; local reports documented impacts around Pacific Beach and Mission Bay.
  • Santa Barbara County: the harbor experienced unusually high tidal water; a preliminary record-level reading was reported. This is not evidence of flooding across all downtown streets.
  • Monterey and Santa Cruz counties: a coastal flood advisory warned of possible inundation in low-lying Monterey Bay locations. The warning itself does not prove widespread actual flooding in these communities.

Marin County: A kayak near US 101, then renewed road closures

The first notable image appeared Monday, October 26. CBS Bay Area reported a person kayaking on a waterlogged road around Shoreline Highway near the US 101 interchange in Marin City. On Tuesday, police and traffic authorities documented another round of inundation. Miller Avenue between Camino Alto and Almonte Boulevard and Redwood Highway Frontage Road were temporarily closed in Mill Valley before police reported reopening by late afternoon.

Marin’s official emergency portal separately listed flooding restrictions on Lucky Drive near Fifer Avenue and Larkspur Plaza Drive at Creekside Drive. California Highway Patrol records included a 2:04 p.m. flooding incident at the southbound US 101 Lucky Drive exit. A flooded ramp is not the same as a shutdown of every mainline Highway 101 lane.

Local reports: Mill Valley: October 27 closures and reopening; Larkspur: Lucky Drive and Plaza Drive flooding; Marin City: where the October 26 kayak video was filmed.

San Francisco: Embarcadero water reaches walkways near Pier 14

On October 27, seawater surged across parts of San Francisco’s bayfront Embarcadero, prompting barricades and restriction of some sidewalk and bike-lane access. KQED documented conditions around Pier 14 and quoted the Port of San Francisco on plans to place barriers and pump out affected areas when needed.

The National Weather Service San Francisco tide gauge forecast Tuesday’s peak at around 2.1 feet above normal. That comparison is about the tidal anomaly, not a uniform measurement of water depth above streets.

Local report: San Francisco Embarcadero flooding near Pier 14.

Orange County: PCH closures, Balboa flooding and a different kayak

Orange County was under a National Weather Service Coastal Flood Warning rather than the lower-tier advisory covering many farther-north coastlines. In Newport Beach, seawater reached neighborhoods around the Balboa Peninsula and waterfront businesses. The city forecast a high tide of 8.5 feet and temporarily shut the waterway under the Newport Boulevard Bridge, 8:30–10:30 a.m., to reduce damaging wakes. It offered free prefilled sandbags from 592 Superior Avenue, while supplies lasted, and announced a temporary parking-enforcement suspension through 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 28, for residents moving vehicles to safer parking.

In Huntington Beach, flooding affected Sunset Beach, Huntington Harbour and Pacific Coast Highway. FOX 11 reported video showing a kayak traveling down a flooded residential road on October 27. Caltrans’ road updates listed temporary SR 1 closures from Seapoint Street to Warner Avenue and between Warner Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard; exact limits shifted during the day. Marine-safety teams were reported assisting motorists stranded by rising water.

Local reports: Newport Beach flooding, bridge closure and sandbags; Huntington Beach kayak footage and road closures; Seal Beach PCH restrictions.

Los Angeles County: Long Beach and Redondo Beach inundation

Coastal flooding also affected Long Beach’s Naples, Bayshore Beach and Peninsula waterfront, where temporary sand berms and older seawalls faced extraordinary high water. Local reporting described water reaching residential streets and pedestrian paths. In Redondo Beach, seawater reached International Boardwalk and waterfront business entrances near King Harbor. Those are documented local incidents—not proof that all Long Beach or Redondo Beach properties flooded.

The San Pedro tide gauge was reported at a preliminary record around 8.18–8.19 feet relative to MLLW on October 27. This is a water-level measurement at a gauge, not a claim that eight feet of water stood on Los Angeles-area streets. The NWS maintained an advisory for Los Angeles County beaches through 1 p.m. Thursday, October 29.

Local reports: Long Beach flooding and berm work; Redondo Beach International Boardwalk flooding.

San Diego County: Harbor Drive closes briefly; Mission Bay and Pacific Beach affected

In a statement dated October 27, the Port of San Diego explicitly confirmed dry-weather flooding on both October 26 and 27 and a temporary closure of West Harbor Drive between Market and Front Streets; the road reopened about an hour later as water receded. Separate coverage reported flooded streets and bike paths around Mission Bay and Pacific Beach.

NWS reported a preliminary 7.98-foot MLLW reading at La Jolla around 10 a.m. Tuesday, potentially an all-time high at that specific gauge. This value should not be directly compared with another site’s height without checking location and datum. The Coastal Flood Warning for San Diego County coastal areas continued through 1 p.m. October 29.

Local report: San Diego flooding and official Harbor Drive closure.

Santa Barbara: A reported record at the harbor

Santa Barbara waterfront officials described a preliminary tide reading of 8.01 feet around 10 a.m. Tuesday, with dramatically raised marina gangways. The NWS advisory for Santa Barbara County beaches remained active through Thursday. That record-level tide is meaningful for harbor operations, but it should not be reported as a newly verified citywide inundation.

Local report: Santa Barbara Harbor high tide and precautions.

Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz: A serious advisory, not an invented disaster

On October 27, the NWS extended the Coastal Flood Advisory for Northern and Southern Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast through 5 p.m. Friday, October 30. The advisory warned that very low coastal areas may experience inundation, local travel disruptions and erosion. The forecast height of up to 2.1 feet above ground in vulnerable locations applies to the wider NWS warning area, not uniformly to every waterfront town.

To date, we have not independently verified a widespread October 27 flood throughout Monterey or Santa Cruz city limits. These are local safety stories, and should be labeled as warnings rather than photographs or accounts of damage that has not been documented.

Local reports: Monterey Bay warning for harbor and coastal residents; Santa Cruz coast advisory and beach-access precautions.

Why is California flooding without major rain?

The immediate trigger was exceptionally high coastal tides. Astronomical king tides are periods when the alignment and gravitational forces of the sun, moon and Earth combine to produce larger-than-usual high water. In late October 2026, forecasters and researchers also pointed to elevated coastal sea levels, very warm ocean water associated with El Niño conditions, and oceanic Kelvin waves as contributors to the unusually large anomalies. Water expands as it warms, and ocean waves that carry changes in sea level can affect the coast even without the towering breaking waves people associate with storms.

This is why water can enter roads on a sunny morning. It is also why scientists warn that future heavy rainfall arriving at the same time as a high tide can worsen drainage and flood impacts. The precise contribution of each factor varies by location and remains an active subject of measurement and forecasting.

Three different measurements that must not be confused

  1. Height on a tide gauge (feet MLLW): the elevation of water relative to a defined local tidal datum. Newport Beach’s forecast 8.5 feet and San Pedro’s observed ~8.18 feet are examples; they are not street flooding depths.
  2. Amount above a normal/predicted tide: an anomaly, such as San Francisco’s forecast high tide 2.1 feet higher than normal. It does not mean 2.1 feet of water covered every road.
  3. Inundation above ground: floodwater depth possible at a particular low-lying location. NWS mentioned up to 2.1 feet in vulnerable places within the Bay Area advisory zone—not along all California beaches.

How long will the alerts last?

  • Orange and San Diego County coastal areas: NWS Coastal Flood Warning until 1 p.m. Thursday, October 29, unless amended.
  • Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County beaches: NWS Coastal Flood Advisory through 1 p.m. Thursday, October 29.
  • Marin, San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay and portions of the nearby Pacific coast: NWS Coastal Flood Advisory through 5 p.m. Friday, October 30.

Those are forecast bulletin expiration times, not guarantees that every affected road will reopen at the same moment. Local agencies may issue closures for shorter or longer periods.

What residents and drivers should do now

  1. Never drive, walk or kayak through a flooded street. Water can conceal hazards, move unexpectedly, and damage vehicles; seawater is particularly corrosive.
  2. Check live road conditions: Caltrans QuickMap for state highways, and local police, city or county emergency updates for neighborhood streets.
  3. Check NWS alerts for your specific area: Bay Area and Monterey, Los Angeles through Central Coast and Orange and San Diego counties.
  4. Follow city instructions on sandbags and parking: Newport Beach, for example, announced temporary arrangements for moving vehicles, but rules differ between cities.
  5. Expect a repeat during another high tide. A street that dried out this afternoon may flood again on the next elevated tide, especially when drainage is constrained.

Sources and editorial method

This California58 report cross-checked original government warnings and official agency notices against contemporaneous eyewitness and local news coverage, separating observed floods, road restrictions and forecasts.

Editorial time stamp: October 27, 2026, evening, Pacific Time. Flood advisories, road openings, ferry service and damage assessments change quickly. We have deliberately distinguished closures reported earlier in the day from real-time conditions and do not claim unverified injury totals or property-loss figures. This is a new retrospective report on the actual October 27 flooding, distinct from our previously published October 26 forecast article.

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  1. Pingback: Coastal Flood Warnings and Advisories Through October 29: What Southern California Beach Communities Should Know – California58