High summer tides bring Coastal Flood Advisory to Bay shoreline

SAN FRANCISCO -- Higher-than-normal tides could flood low-lying coastal areas around the San Francisco Bay Area through Thursday, while dangerous beach conditions and a moderate heat risk are expected to persist through midweek, the National Weather Service said Monday.

In a weather advisory, forecasters warned that minor coastal flooding could affect roads, parks and parking lots in bayshore communities from the North Bay to the South Bay, with isolated road closures possible in some locations.

Water could be seen flooding San Francisco's Embarcadero overnight Monday at Pier 14.

The high summer tides are the result of sea level rise from global warming and a surging El Nino. The high tides are enhanced by wind, ocean swell and thermal expansion.

According to the weather service, high tides at the San Francisco tidal gauge are expected to reach 1.8 feet above normal early Tuesday morning, 1.7 feet above normal early Wednesday and 1.2 feet above normal early Thursday morning. Along the Central Coast, tides at Monterey are forecast to peak at 2.0 feet above normal Monday night and 1.8 feet above normal Tuesday night.

Beachgoers are being urged to use caution through Thursday as a long-period southerly swell increases the risk of sneaker waves and strong rip currents, which are the "greatest threat for south and southwest facing beaches," according to the NWS' briefing. The weather service said hazardous beach conditions are expected across coastal portions of the North Bay, San Francisco, the Peninsula, Santa Cruz County and Monterey and San Benito counties.

Forecasters expect minor to locally moderate heat risk through the middle of the week, particularly in warmer inland areas, before cooler conditions arrive later in the week.

ABC7 Eyewitness News contributed to this story.