In some U.S. towns this week, residents didn’t need a beachfront home to see the ocean. It came to them.
King tides flooded parts of California, Florida, and the Carolinas. They sent seawater into streets, homes, and businesses. And they’re not over yet. Forecasters say the tides could cause more flooding in some areas over the next few days.
The tides began with the full Moon earlier this week. Gravity of both the Sun and the Moon pull on the Earth. That shifts ocean water, causing tides. King tides are particularly strong ocean tides. These happen when the Moon is closer or when the Moon and Sun line up with Earth. In those cases, they have a stronger pull than usual on our planet. King tides can occur several times each year. They may last several days.
Other weather events make the tides especially strong right now too. In Florida, there’s strong high air pressure to the north. There’s low air pressure over the Caribbean. Together, these made larger swells, says Chris Fisher. He’s a National Weather Service meteorologist in Miami.
What about the California coast? The ongoing super El Niño warms the ocean there. That makes the water level rise. Another factor? Kelvin waves. These are pulses of warm water that lift the sea level, says meteorologist Roger Gass.
In Huntington Beach, California, residents placed sandbags outside their homes on Wednesday. They worked to keep water out of buildings. Some people used paddleboards and surfboards to move about the streets.
In the northern part of the state, weather experts expected minor flooding through Saturday in low-lying areas.
Mr. Gass says the coastal flooding usually happens within one-and-a-half hours before and after high tides. The tides are peaking nearly two feet higher than normal in Northern California.
Officials sent out flood warnings for most of Florida’s Atlantic coast through early Friday. South Carolina coastal cities such as Charleston and Myrtle Beach reported street flooding. People watched for rip currents as far north as North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
“It’s been a good week to stay out of the water and stay away from the beaches,” Mr. Fisher says.
Virginia Key is a barrier island in Miami, Florida. It had its highest king tide and the third-highest water level recorded. (People started keeping those records about 30 years ago.)
“The only times we’ve seen higher was during hurricanes,” Mr. Fisher says.
He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?” — Matthew 8:26-27
