Flooding in San Francisco has left residents scrambling to keep their homes safe, as roads have become fully submerged following a super moon 'trifecta.'
Heavy winds and high tides swept through the Bay Area on Saturday, with the tide peaking at 2.5 feet higher than usual at around 10.30am.
One resident, 36-year-old Julia Pfahl, told the San Francisco Chronicle that she had arrived at work only to discover the shop was flooded by four inches of water.
'It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,' she said. 'Everyone is in a panic, no one knows how to drive in it.
'I saw a car by the Holiday Inn with water up to its windows. Did you really think you could drive through that?'
A flood warning was issued across the Bay Area and the Central Coast until 2pm on Sunday, with advisories for San Francisco and San Pablo bays extended until 3pm on Monday.
The high waters submerged streets, including parts of Interstate 80 which saw water levels two feet deep.
Photos of the area saw homes and cars underwater, as well as desperate residents kayaking through the high waters.
Flash flooding reports further closed Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County in both directions as mudslides and debris took over the roadway.
One Sausalito resident, 28-year-old Jon Borges, told the outlet that he had recieved a phone call from a stranded friend at around 10.30am.
Living in a sailboat, Borges is familiar with high tides but acknowledged that there was little expectation for such disruptive flooding.
'We’re just waiting for the water to go down enough to get a tow truck,' he told the outlet.
An employee with the Mill Valley Department of Public Works, Mark Bartel, said: 'It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it this nasty.'
After six months working for the Department, Bartel had already seen a fair amount of flooding but 'nothing like this.'
The super moon, dubbed the Wolf Moon, was set to peak in the early hours on Saturday.
The phenomenon occurs when the moon is at its closest point in orbit to the Earth, lying 225,130 miles away, Fox Weather reported.
Should cities invest more in flood defenses or is this just an unavoidable act of nature?
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Typically, the moon orbits around 240,000 miles from Earth, according to EarthSky.
High tides are common during the event, and are known as spring or king tides during a super moon.
Kicking off the new year, the event also coincided with the Earth's closest orbit to the Sun. The two events having occurred simultaneously was last recorded in 1912, EarthSky said.
