Unusually high tides could cause localized flooding and temporary road closures in Corte Madera and Larkspur next week, the Central Marin Police Authority warned.

The highest tides are forecast around midday and early afternoon, with peak levels ranging from 6.5 feet to 6.8 feet at the Richmond tide gauge, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The highest predicted tides are expected to be 6.8 feet Tuesday and Wednesday at 12:33 p.m. and 1:14 p.m., respectively.

Typically, high tides would not cause flooding, but recent water levels have been about a foot higher than predicted because of warmer ocean water and windy conditions, police said.

Police urged residents and businesses to clear leaves and debris from gutters and drains and consider using sandbags if their properties are in flood-prone areas.

Motorists should allow extra travel time, watch for detours and obey road closure signs and barricades. Drivers should never attempt to cross flooded roads, even when water appears shallow, because it can conceal pavement damage and other hazards.

Pedestrians and bicyclists also should avoid traveling through floodwater, which can hide dangers and contain contaminants.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up for AlertMarin, the county’s emergency notification system, at alertmarin.org, and Nixle at nixle.com for emergency updates and local traffic advisories.

Ruth Dusseault is an investigative reporter and multimedia journalist focused on environment and energy. Her position is supported by the California local news fellowship, a statewide initiative spearheaded by UC Berkeley aimed at supporting local news platforms. While a student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism (c’23), Ruth developed stories about the social and environmental circumstances of contaminated watersheds around the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Her thesis explored rights of nature laws in small rural communities. She is a former assistant professor and artist in residence at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, and uses photography, film and digital storytelling to report on the engineered systems that undergird modern life.