Palm Beach County is bearing the brunt of king tides that have raised water levels and flooded beaches and roadways.
King tide season is in the fall. The massive tides happen when full and new moons create a stronger gravitational pull, which makes high tides higher than normal.
Strong ocean swells from an early-season nor’easter storm that brought heavy rain and strong winds from the Mid-Atlantic to New England has made the king tides more intense in Palm Beach County.
The waves were also fierce and choppy and projected to reach as high as 6 to 8 feet over the weekend. The storm also pushed the first cold front of the fall season to the area. Its effects were felt over the weekend, with temperatures dipping into the low 70s.
sent strong waves onto Palm Beach County beaches
King tides flood streets, bike paths in Palm Beach County
The county was under a coastal flood advisory until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and is under a coastal flood statement until 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30. There is a high chance for minor to moderate coastal flooding because of the high tide, king tide cycle and gusty easterly winds, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
Palm Beach County experienced flooding over the weekend, which reached its peak on Sunday at 2.07 feet in Lake Worth Beach, according to Diamy Perez-Betancourt, a meteorologist with the weather service. This is the third-highest king tide water level recorded in the county since 2010, she said.
Some streets and bike paths were so flooded that they weren’t passable over the weekend, she said. Flooding is expected to steadily decrease throughout the week. But minor flooding will still be a concern in the county at least until Wednesday, Sept. 30, Perez-Betancourt said.
The most king tide flooding this year is expected to happen between Oct. 7 to Oct. 13 and Oct. 24 to Oct. 30 — the time periods with the new moon and the full moon, according to George Rizzuto, a meteorologist with the weather service.
“It can come up sewer drains and ends up in some lower-lying coastal streets, so you can get nuisance street flooding and flooding along the beaches as well,” Rizzuto said. “Mainly for those areas closest to the coast, but it can become problematic if we get some sort of heavy rain event that coincides with high tide because it will make it a lot more difficult to drain out on the roads.”
How to stay safe during king tides?
Here are some king tides safety tips from the weather service:
- Do not park your car in low-lying areas. Saltwater is corrosive and can damage cars.
- Boaters, be aware that king tides can cause lower clearance levels than normal under fixed bridges.
- Do not enter floodwater and do not let children play in floodwater.
Maya Washburn is a Trending News Reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: King tides bring flooding to beaches, roadways in Palm Beach County
