The Port of San Diego on Tuesday warned the public to prepare for intermittent street flooding this week thanks to a combination of elevated tide levels, Kelvin waves, seasonal high tides and forecast rainfall.
On Monday and Tuesday, sections of the San Diego bayfront experienced dry weather flooding, closing a section of West Harbor Drive between Market and Front Streets. The street reopened an hour later when water levels receded.
Although flooding is expected to be temporary, elevated water levels may overtop seawalls, flood roadways, limit access to waterfront areas, disrupt traffic and create hazards for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, a port statement said.
Some of the most vulnerable areas include:
- Embarcadero: North Harbor Drive and Laurel Street; West Harbor Drive and Kettner Boulevard; and West Harbor Drive between Market and Front streets;
- Embarcadero Marina Park North: Walkway near the marina and parking lot entrance;
- Downtown San Diego: Pacific Highway and Laurel Street;
- Point Loma: Anchorage Lane and Canon Street; and
- Bayshore Bikeway: South San Diego Bay between state Route 75 and Flamingo Trail.
Neighborhoods bordering Mission Bay bay flooded on Monday. Water rushed into the side streets linking neighborhoods to Mission Boulevard.
At Get It On Smokeshop on Mission Boulevard, store proprietor Leo Santos was breathing a sigh or relief that he'd been prepared with sandbags when the floodwaters came.
βThe high tide and the full moon, it made the water fill up pretty much right up to my doorstep and so we were lucky, luckily enough prepared to make sure none of that damaged the inside of the building," Santos said.
On the bay side, city skip loaders were busy on Tuesday reinforcing sand berms in an effort to keep Monday's flooding from happening again.
A coastal flood warning went into effect early Sunday for the entire coast of San Diego County and will remain in effect until Thursday afternoon, with "significant flooding" expected from unusually high tides, forecasters said.
"Numerous roads may be closed. Low lying property including homes, businesses and some critical infrastructure will be inundated," the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
The NWS also said some shoreline erosion will occur in the morning hours and that coastal residents should be alert for rising water and take appropriate action to protect life and property. High tides each day will occur in the morning and may be anywhere from 1 to 1.7 feet above astronomical tide predictions, the NWS said.
"Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property. If travel is required, do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Stay off of jetties and sea walls," the agency added. "Avoid beaches during high tides. During high and rising tides, waves may run farther up the beach than expected. Stay far back from the water and never turn your back on the ocean."
The warning also stretches into Orange County.
