California king tides likely to cause flooding

San Francisco on flood alert. Image by Anita Ritenour / CC BY 2.0

Exceptionally high tides known as king tides are hitting coastal California this week. The tides are caused by the positions of the sun and the moon at this time of year when they’re in maximum alignment, causing increased pull on the oceans, and are likely to cause flooding and present dangers to boats at sea until Wednesday this week. Low lying areas around San Francisco Bay Area, including the city’s popular Embarcadero district, are on alert. Read more: sfgate.com