Forecasters say some areas could see more flooding into the weekend
King tides pushed seawater into beach communities on both U.S. coasts this week, flooding streets and entering homes and businesses in California, Florida and the Carolinas. The tides began with the full moon earlier in the week, and forecasters said some areas could see flooding into the weekend.
Seawater reached homes and businesses in Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach, while officials shut traffic on a flooded section of the four-lane Pacific Coast Highway. In Fort Lauderdale, access to multiple waterfront venues for what was billed as the world’s largest-in-water boat show required driving through flooded streets next to marinas, hotels and convention centers.
King tides are caused by the gravitational pull and alignments of the Earth, moon and sun. They can occur several times a year and last several days. The National Weather Service said this week’s tides had been exacerbated by additional weather and ocean factors.
In Florida, strong high pressure to the north and low pressure over the Caribbean were causing increased swells, said Chris Fisher, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Miami. Most of the state’s Atlantic coast was under flood warnings through early Friday.
Along the California coast, the ongoing super El Niño had warmed the ocean, leading to an increased volume of seawater, said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area forecast office in Monterey. Kelvin waves, a series of pulses of warm water that lift sea level, were another factor.
In Southern California, Stacey Frederick took photos and videos of people walking in knee-deep water and paddleboarding on the Pacific Coast Highway outside the coffee shop where she works as rising tides pushed water ashore. Officials shut traffic on the flooded portion of the four-lane highway, which winds from Orange County up through California.
King tides were not new, but Frederick said this flooding was unusual. “It floods a little bit, but never to this point,” said Frederick, 38, who has lived in Huntington Beach for five years.
The National Weather Service said record high tides were set this week in Santa Barbara, San Pedro, San Diego and nearby La Jolla. In Northern California, minor flooding was expected through Saturday in low-lying areas along shorelines and tidal waterways during peak high tides.
Gass said the coastal flooding generally occurred within 1 1/2 hours before and after high tides, which were peaking 1.9 feet (about a half-meter) above normal in Northern California.
In Sunset Beach, water washed over the three layers of sandbags Lorraine Friedman, 75, had stacked inside her garage and on the small patio outside her studio apartment. She had lived in the seaside community for nearly three decades, and her apartment had flooded only once before, some 20 years ago.
“This is the second day I’ve been flooded — two days — and tomorrow I’ll get flooded again,” Friedman said Wednesday.
Street flooding was reported in South Carolina coastal cities, including Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Rip currents were possible as far north as North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Virginia Key, a barrier island in Miami, saw its highest king tide and the third-highest water level since records were first kept three decades ago, Fisher said. “The only times we’ve seen higher was during hurricanes,” Fisher said. “It’s historical from a king tide perspective.”
“It’s been a rough beach week,” Fisher said. “We’ve had a high risk of rip currents and some high surf out there. The beach conditions are going to continue to be rough through the weekend. It’s been a good week to stay out of the water and stay away from the beaches.”