Weather

King tides combined with strong winds cause flooding in coastal communities

By Irene Sans, WFTV.com

Strong winds and extra high tides (king tides) causing flooding and road closures in Cocoa. 

By Irene Sans, WFTV.com
Volusia and Brevard counties received lots of rain this past weekend which caused flooding. But Tuesday's afternoon flooding was not caused by rain. Images from Cocoa showed how the waves penetrated to the roads, prompting authorities to close Indian River Drive, between City Point Road to Blacks Road in Cocoa (the mainland side of the intracoastal).
The winds have been strong and persistent, gusting above 35 mph at times. A high surf advisory is in effect for the Florida east coast. Seas could reach up to 9 feet and these conditions are set to continue through at least Thursday.
To this, we add another component, the king tides. They are in full gear this time of the year. King tides is the common name of the perigean spring tides, which are the highest high tides. They are predictable tides, occurring naturally three to four times a year. The high tides become higher than the normal high tide because of the gravitational force exerted by a full or new moon, and the rotation of the Earth. This event combined with the current strong winds affecting Florida, makes a bad combination for the immediate coastal residents.


These floods become a real nuisance and danger to cities near or below sea level. In South Florida for example, the king tides easily flood downtown Miami, even in sunny days, affecting thousands of people´s commute, work, and the city´s infrastructure (salt water damage). We are seen more places being affected by higher than normal tides because of sea level rise. A diminutive increase of sea level could bring great impacts to property and residents. These impacts are exponentially increased when, inevitably, the moon´s phase, its gravitational force, and the Earth´s rotation come into play.

What's causing the flooding in Brevard County this time? This is wind overwashing the roads during high tide, north of Cocoa adjacent to the Intracoastal.

Posted by George Waldenberger WFTV Meteorologist on Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Cox Media Group

0

Most Read