King tides inundate streets and flood homes along both U.S. coasts

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — King tides have inundated parts of both U.S. coasts, flooding streets and sending seawater into homes and businesses in 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. 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.

This week’s king tides have been exacerbated by additional factors, forecasters said Wednesday.

In Florida, strong high pressure to the north and low pressure over the Caribbean were causing increased swells, Chris Fisher, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Miami, said.

Along the California coast, the ongoing super El Niño has warmed the ocean, leading to an increased volume of seawater. Another factor was the occurrence of Kelvin waves, a series of pulses of warm water that lift the sea level, said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area forecast office in Monterey.

This week’s king tides, like their name, have definitely been noticeable. Residents didn’t need a beach to see the ocean. The ocean came to…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business