King Tides Return to Sausalito in December and January
Each December and January, when Earth is closest to the sun, we get several rounds of especially high tides called King Tides in Sausalito when the full moon decides to make trouble.
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These tides can be especially damaging when they flood local streets and parking lots, since salt water from the Bay can cause irreversible corrosion in the electronics and fuel lines of cars that get caught in more than a few inches of the deep water.
Any high tide above 6.5 feet will start to flood low lying areas in the northern Sausalito area by the Mill Valley – Sausalito Multi-Use Path, as well as parts of Marinship near the Bay. Gate 5 Road and Gate 6 1/2 road and adjacent areas can be especially hard hit (see map below).
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If it rains during a King Tide the flooding can be much worse, since the runoff has nowhere to go. Strong winds off the Bay likewise push high water against the Sausalito shoreline and can further worsen flooding.
When my office was at the corner of Coloma St. and Gate 5 Road I used to wince as I watched SUV’s ignore the “Road Closed: Flooded” signs erected by the Sausalito Police Dept. at Harbor Dr. and Gate 5 Road, near the ICB Building. They’d drive towards us through the deep salt water on Gate 5 Road (shown above in a photo I took during the King Tides), and I knew that just such a maneuver through more shallow waters had ultimately totaled a local woman’s BMW because of salt water getting into the undercarriage and its wiring.
King Tides Forecast for December, 2017 – January, 2018
Predicted days and times for King Tides in Sausalito in December, 2017 and January, 2018 (with peaks above 6.5 feet) are:
Saturday, December 2: 9:50 AM
Sunday, December 3: 10:33 AM
Monday, December 4: 11:18 AM
Tuesday, December 5: 12:05 PM
Saturday, December 30: 8:38 AM
Sunday, December 31: 9:25 AM
Monday, January 1: 10:12 AM
Tuesday, January 2: 11:01 AM
Wednesday, January 3: 11:52 AM
Sunday, January 28: 8:15 AM
Monday, January 29: 9:08 AM
Tuesday, January 30: 10:01 AM
Wednesday, January 31: 10:53 AM