King Tides and Winter Storms in Suisun City: Keeping Water Off Your Floors

Do king tides put Suisun City floors at risk?

It depends on where your home sits and how water would reach it. You can't do anything about the tide. What you can decide now is what comes off the floor and which doors need sandbags if a storm lands on a king tide date.

The California Coastal Commission's King Tides Project calls king tides "the highest predicted tides of the year." For winter 2026-27 it lists the statewide dates as November 24-26, December 23-25 and January 21-22, and says Northern California locations may also include December 22, January 20 and January 23. It tells people to check its tide map for local dates and times.

This year has an extra wrinkle. The same Coastal Commission page says scientists expect a historically strong El Niño this fall and winter, along with Kelvin waves that cause a temporary rise in sea level, and that these conditions "can result in actual tide heights exceeding tide predictions." So the published tide height may not be the highest the water reaches this winter.

Suisun City sits on the edge of the Suisun Marsh, with its downtown waterfront on Suisun Slough. That's why the tide dates matter here more than they do in a hillside Fairfield tract. Our Suisun City service page covers the carpet and water work we do in town.

Which kind of Suisun City home are you in?

Your prep depends on how water would get in. Find your row, do the column on the right before the November dates, and skip the rest.

If you're in the first row, do the flood-zone check first. The Solano County Water Agency's flood preparedness page sends homeowners to FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to look up their risk. The same page says a flood policy "typically takes 30-days" to go into effect and that "Standard homeowner policies do not cover flooding," so if the map worries you, talk to your agent this month rather than in December.

If you're on higher ground, a blocked gutter in a heavy storm is the likelier problem than the tide, and clearing it is a ladder job you can do on a dry weekend. Crawl space homes get their own guide: crawl space vs subfloor water damage explains where to look after a storm.

What should come off the floor before a king tide storm?

Anything that soaks up water and is slow to dry, starting at the doors nearest the water. None of this costs money, and it's the part people skip.

1. Roll up area rugs and put them in a room upstairs or on a shelf.
2. Lift cardboard boxes, paperwork and photo albums off the garage floor and the ground floor.
3. Put furniture that sits on carpet up on blocks, so its legs aren't standing in water if the carpet gets wet.
4. Unplug power strips and lift cords and electronics off the floor in ground-level rooms.
5. Photograph each room's floors while they're dry, so you have a before picture if you ever need to show your insurer what changed.
6. Find your water main and breaker panel in daylight. The water agency's family plan includes knowing where your utility shut-offs are.
7. Sign up for Alert Solano, the county's regional emergency notification system, which sends alerts by text, email or phone.

Will sandbags keep tide water out?

They'll turn moving water away from a door. They won't make it watertight. The Solano County sandbag page says properly filled and placed sandbags "can act as a barrier to divert moving water around instead of through buildings," and also that "Sandbag construction does not, however, guarantee a water tight seal."

The county's sites are self-serve, so bring your own shovel, and check that page for the current locations rather than relying on last year's. Put the bags at the doors that face the water and at the garage door, and keep the rugs up anyway. If you want the other official sandbag pages for Solano and Napa in one place, our rain season prep guide lists them.

What if water gets in anyway?

Photograph it before you move anything, and get it out fast. Our practical advice is to handle tide water or street runoff that came in under a door as floodwater until someone has assessed it, because it isn't the same job as a dripping pipe.

The CDC's guidelines for cleaning safely after a disaster say "Floodwater can contain dangerous bacteria from overflowing sewage and agricultural and industrial waste." By contrast, the EPA's flood cleanup page says damage from a pipe leak or rainwater "typically presents fewer hazards." That's why carpet soaked by tide water or runoff shouldn't be handled like carpet soaked by a supply line, and why it's worth having someone measure it before you decide what stays.

Speed still matters either way. The EPA's mold course says "In most cases, mold will not grow if wet or damp items are dried within 24-48 hours." The EPA line doesn't say when that clock starts, so our practical advice is to count from when the floor got wet, not from when you noticed it.

This is the work our emergency water extraction and water damage restoration services cover. We document the damage with photos and moisture readings and work with your adjuster. If sewage is involved, the regulated part of the cleanup is done by a licensed company we bring in, as our sewage and biohazard cleanup page explains.