Monterey Bay Coastal Flood Advisory Extended Through October 31: Updated Guidance for Moss Landing and Big Sur

UPDATED WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2026 — MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST. The National Weather Service has extended the Coastal Flood Advisory until 6 p.m. PDT Saturday, October 31 for the Northern Monterey Bay and Southern Monterey Bay/Big Sur coastal forecast zones. Its updated bulletin, issued at 12:20 a.m. October 28, says up to 1.9 feet of inundation above ground level is possible in vulnerable low-lying shoreline and tidal-waterway locations across the advisory area. These are updated NWS projections, not measured flood depths at any specific property. Residents should follow the latest NWS San Francisco Bay Area advisory, local official alerts and Caltrans QuickMap before travel.

Previous advisory and forecast context (October 27): the earlier bulletin had stated the alert would run through Friday, October 30, and estimated up to 2.1 feet of possible inundation. Those figures have been superseded by the October 28 notice; historical forecast details below are retained for context only.

This is a forecast hazard notice, not confirmation that Monterey’s city center or all shoreline neighborhoods were flooded on October 27. The advisory concerns specific low-elevation waterfronts, tidal waterways, beaches and infrastructure that may experience high-water impacts.

What the forecasters expect

The NWS bulletin issued at 3:11 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, states that up to 2.1 feet of inundation above ground level is possible in the most vulnerable low-lying locations across the advisory area. That is not a prediction of uniform flood depth for every city. Among potential consequences are occasional road closures, shoreline erosion and water moving farther up beaches, restricting escape routes.

The same NWS advisory described San Francisco tidal-gauge peaks as 1.9 feet above normal on Wednesday, 1.7 feet Thursday and 1.6 feet Friday. Those are San Francisco gauge projections and should not be presented as identical tidal levels at Monterey Harbor; local timing may differ.

Why this matters to Moss Landing and Monterey County

People traveling through Monterey, Moss Landing, Pacific Grove, Carmel and low-lying parts of the bay coastline should check conditions along their exact route, particularly near tidal sloughs, harbor edges and exposed beach access. State Route 1 may also have unrelated construction controls; do not treat a flood advisory as proof that every closure is flood-related.

Use Caltrans QuickMap, local harbor bulletins and the NWS Bay Area office before traveling. Do not enter flooded roads, tidal slough crossings or cordoned-off harbor paths.

Primary sources: NWS Monterey County Coastal Flood Advisory dated October 27; Caltrans Highway 1 road conditions.

Article differentiates an official warning from an observed or confirmed flood. Conditions are time-sensitive.

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