PORTLAND — When water rose two inches in his office’s library Tuesday, lawyer Daniel Lilley did the only sensible thing: He evacuated his colleagues to the nearest port in a storm, J’s Oyster, a neighborhood bar.

“Let’s just say, `Justice takes a break,’ ” Lilley said, grinning.

Lilley and his colleagues were among about 100 people evacuated by the Fire Department from offices on Portland Pier, sections of which were swamped by 3 to 4 feet of water from Tuesday’s astronomical high tide.

Some of the evacuees filtered into J’s, a bar and restaurant on the pier, where they had front-row seats to watch the water rise. And rise. And rise.

At 11:56 a.m., the high tide in Portland reached 13.65 feet — nearly four feet above normal and the fourth highest on record — because of a rare alignment of the sun, moon and Earth, coupled with fierce winds from a winter storm.

Water flooded low-lying areas of parking lots in front of Union Wharf and Chandler’s Wharf, nearly covering the wheels of a dozen cars, and a section of Outer Congress Street near the Stroudwater Bridge. But city officials said Portland Pier was flooded the worst.

“This is totally bizarre. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Pete Southerland said as he looked out the window at J’s, watching the water spilling over the dock into the parking lot.

Southerland’s work on Peaks Island for a contractor was rained out Tuesday and so he made his way to J’s with some friends. “We heard they were supposed to have abnormal high tides so we thought we’d come down here and have a cold drink and watch the world float by. But I never expected anything like this.”

Outside on the pier, the wind gusted up to 49 mph, blowing the rain in sheets and whipping umbrellas inside out.

“What a mess, eh?” said police Officer Bruce Britting, his hair dripping as if he’d stepped out of a shower.

As the tide came in, firefighters waded in water up to their knees on the pier, warning workers in nearby offices to evacuate and move their cars from the parking lot in front of J’s.

“We’re getting the cars out of here so they don’t float over the side,” said Capt. Lannie McGahey, a firefighter.

Eliza Young, 23, a receptionist at the AT&T office on Commercial Street, succeeded in piloting her car through an estimated 2-3 feet of water. Several other cars didn’t make it and had to be pushed out when they stalled.

“I think I would’ve rather had snow, actually,” Young said. “I don’t know if I like this.”

Ed Haleciwz, a salesman from Yarmouth, stood on the corner across from J’s, snapping away with his Minolta camera. As a car drove by, water splashed up onto the sidewalk, washing over his dress shoes before he could dash away.

“I just came down to see how high the water was,” Haleciwz said, grinning and stamping his feet to shake off the water. “I can’t remember the last time I saw it get up this high.”

When water covered the floor in his library, Lilley decided it was time to clear out. He made two trips with his colleagues jammed into the cab of his pickup truck, swooshing through water covering the truck’s tires.

“I wonder if I’m going to have to moor my truck,” Lilley said as he trudged into J’s.

At high tide, the water came up to the doorway at J’s and encircled the building. But inside, the evacuees and the regulars were high and dry.

In one corner, Lilley’s colleagues spread out their legal papers across two tables. They worked while Lilley paced, nervously eyeing the water as it rose up the side of his office building.

“I’m afraid of what I’m going to find when the water goes down,” he said. “I just hope the building doesn’t float away.”

Cynthia Moran, the owner of J’s, relished the brisk business brought in by the tide.

“We’re kind of hoping the tide brings fresh fish in so we can serve it on the menu tonight,” she said.

“I’m glad no water came in,” she added. “Maybe they’ll lower our flood insurance now.”