Flooding in coastal areas may get worse
Moon’s pull on tides intensified by easterly winds, sea level rise.
Coastal flooding is expected to continue today and possibly worsen, as the pull on Florida’s tides swells with the full moon.
The National Weather Service issued a coastal hazard message early Monday morning for areas from Palm Beach County to Miami Dade, and in Collier County on the southwest coast.
Brad Diehl, a meteorologist with the NWS in Miami, said high tides could cause minor flooding through Thursday and then slowly withdraw as the moon enters its waning gibbous phase.
But it’s not just the moon causing streets to turn runny, Diehl said.
Easterly winds pushing
water onshore, normal seasonal changes, sea level rise and a slower Gulf Stream also are to blame.
“There are all kinds of subtle things that contribute to the higher tides,” Diehl said. “This kind of thing can be hard to predict.”
During Monday’s morning high tide, some West Palm Beach drivers turned around when faced with a flooded Flagler Drive. While the water wasn’t high enough to stall an engine, splashing saltwater can do its own kind of corrosive damage.
In most places the tides are bubbling up through storm drains, but neighborhoods with aging sea walls also are vulnerable.
“I know it was pervasive throughout my district,” said Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams, who represents coastal communities from Boca Raton to South Palm Beach. “We had flooding in Boca, Delray, Boynton, Lantana, and all up and down the coast.”
Abrams is scheduled to tour some of the worst areas on Wednesday.
Brian McNoldy, a senior research associ- Kimberly Miller is The Post’s weather reporter. Get her latest updates this hurricane season on Twitter at and at WeatherPlus blog at weatherplus. ate at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, said tidal predictions based on astronomical factors show today and Wednesday as having the highest tides of the year.
High tides today for Palm Beach County are between 9 and 11 a.m. and 9 and 11 p.m. Wednesday’s high tides are between 10:30 a.m. and noon and 10:30 and 11:30 p.m.