Alameda Flood Advisory Extended Through Oct. 31; UC Berkeley COSI Set

Shoreline high-tide precautions on the island of Alameda and orbital astrophysics engineering in the Berkeley hills led East Bay coverage across October 29–31, 2026 (Following December 2024 King Tides) at 1300 Eighth Street & 300 Island Drive, Alameda; Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA.

Coastal Flood Advisory for Alameda Extended Through Saturday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.

As reported by the Alameda Post, the coastal flood warning has been Extended by National Weather Service through Saturday, October 31, at 6 p.m. during afternoon high tides, as higher-than-normal tides may cause temporary flooding along low-lying shoreline areas, roadways, and pathways:

• Three Self-Service Sandbag Stations: The City of Alameda is providing Up to 5 pre-filled sandbags plus self-fill at 3 locations: Lexington St. at West Hope St., 1300 Eighth Street, and 300 Island Drive (at Washington Park, 1300 Eighth Street, and Grandview Pavilion, 300 Island Drive).
• Storm & El Niño Readiness: City officials urged drivers and pedestrians to avoid flooded roads and pathways and never drive around barricades or through standing water—noting how an Amazon delivery truck was caught in floodwaters during the December 2024 storm and King Tides photographed by Cindy Warner. With rain possible this weekend and into next week, strong El Niño conditions forecast this winter, and peak holiday tides approaching around Thanksgiving and Christmas, residents are encouraged to review the city's Be Alameda Ready guidance.

UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory Readies NASA-Funded COSI Satellite

In Berkeley, Berkeley News writers Charlotte Khadra and Robert Sanders profiled the NASA-funded Compton Spectrometer and Imager led by SSL Associate Director John Tomsick and featured by Angela Zhang (Class of 26) at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL):

• Gamma-Ray & Antimatter Mapping: Scheduled to launch into Earth orbit next year, the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) space telescope Measures Milky Way gamma rays from supernovas and electron-positron annihilation when launched into Earth orbit next year, helping astrophysicists determine why more positrons exist in the Milky Way than previously expected and how chemical elements critical to Earth's formation originate in stellar explosions.
• Clean-Room Student Engineering: Working in clean-room bunny suits to protect COSI's sensitive optical system from dust, UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students play a direct role in building and testing the spacecraft's instruments through SSL internships and fellowships.