King tides return to Bay Area; floods region

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- King tides returned to the Bay Area Monday and that has created some flooding throughout the Bay Area.

SKY7 HD showed flooding into the park and ride stop just off Highway 101. Signs posted throughout the lot warn commuters about regular flooding, but not like this.

"Usually at high tide, usually at night time with the full moon, but like I said, this is the first time I've worked in the morning and yeah, this is crazy," said Pete, a cab driver.

Pete usually picks up riders at the area that was flooded and he nearly left because of rising water levels.

"Earlier it was higher than this, I was sitting right her and said, 'Hey if it gets any higher, I got to get out of here,'" Pete said.

The lot was quickly closed by Caltrans crews. That didn't stop a few people from pulling in anyway. That includes Bobbi Nikales, who parked, but didn't use the flooded out entrance.

"I'm in a Mini, it's got low coverage," Bobbi Nikales said.

In Oakland, Save the Bay held a day of service at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline. They got more than 100 volunteers for the event.

"To have an MLK Day Day of Service at the MLK Shoreline during a King tide event was just fabulous," Hayley Zemel, a Save the Bay scientist said.

Their aim is to teach communities about restoring wetlands, which can act as buffer zones for rising water levels.

She says king tides help illustrate what the Bay Area will be experiencing in the future because of climate change and depleted wetlands.

"The King represents the average daily high tide of 2050," Zemel said.

She said restoring wetlands can help because they act as buffer zones that soak up the rising waters.