By Karim Hammam
King tides have flooded streets and sent seawater into homes and businesses along both U.S. coasts this week, affecting beach communities in California, Florida and the Carolinas. The tides began with the full moon earlier this week and could cause flooding in some areas into the weekend, forecasters said.
California coast
In Southern California, Huntington Beach residents placed sandbags outside homes on Wednesday to keep floodwaters out, while some used paddleboards and surfboards to navigate streets. Stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway were closed, and tides were expected to approach record levels in Orange and San Diego counties. In Northern California, minor flooding was expected through Saturday in low-lying areas along shorelines and tidal waterways during peak high tides, which are peaking 1.9 feet above normal, the National Weather Service said.
Florida and Carolinas
Most of Florida’s Atlantic coast remained under flood warnings through early Friday. Street flooding was reported in South Carolina coastal cities including Charleston and Myrtle Beach, with rip currents possible as far north as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Virginia Key, a barrier island in Miami, recorded its highest king tide and the third-highest water level since records began three decades ago, a level previously seen only during hurricanes, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Fisher.
The ongoing super El Niño has warmed the ocean off California, increasing seawater volume, while Kelvin waves — pulses of warm water that lift sea level — have added to the surge. In Florida, strong high pressure to the north and low pressure over the Caribbean generated increased swells. Fisher warned that rough beach conditions and high rip current risks would continue through the weekend, advising people to stay out of the water. In Fort Lauderdale, flooded streets complicated access to the world’s largest in-water boat show.
