Codornices Creek around Shattuck Avenue. Credit: Citizen reporter

A fierce New Year’s Eve “atmospheric river” has delivered torrents of rain to Berkeley, causing the city’s roadways to turn into ponds and its trickling creeks to become rushing rivers. The atmospheric river is known as the Pineapple Express because it pulls moisture from the areas near the Hawaiian islands toward the West Coast.

The city is reporting flooding on Gilman, King, Second and Harrison streets and notes that water has pooled in many intersections, especially in West Berkeley. People are advised to stop traveling.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Berkeley, in effect through 5:45 p.m. Saturday in Alameda County, and a flood watch remains in effect through 10 p.m.

The service notes that flooding can continue through Saturday night, even after the rain ends. “Stream/creek levels will take longer to recede due to all the runoff from nearby higher terrain,” it says.

Berkeleyside readers shared photos of Codornices and Strawberry creeks surging and water rushing over the boardwalk of Jewel Lake.

Before joining Berkeleyside as managing editor in April 2021, Zac was editor of the Southwest Journal, a 30,000-circulation biweekly community paper in Minneapolis, MN. While there, he led coverage of...