King tides have flooded parts of Florida and California - and it’s going to get worse in the US

Cities on both U.S. coasts are being hit with record flooding from extremely high king tides this week - and it’s only expected to get worse.Social media videos show flooded backyards and roads in Florida. In Southern California, huge waves slammed the shores near multi-million-dollar homes, and Orange County’s Balboa Island Ferry was closed to vehicles because it was floating so high above the ramp.The tides are largely fueled by the force of the pull of the full Hunter’s moon - but that’s just one part of the picture. Sea level rise due to human-caused climate change, this year’s super El Niño climate pattern and energy known as a Kelvin wave are all playing a role. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and this is nuts,” Newport Beach resident Buddy Richley told KTLA on Tuesday. “It’s the highest tide I’ve seen.”Here’s a look at why the flooding is happening and what to expect in the coming days:Extremely high tides are lashing shores and flooding communities in California and Florida this week. More are on the way, forecasters say (Reuters)How bad is the flooding?In California, both San Diego and Los Angeles recorded their highest coastal water levels in over a century, according to extreme weather and climate change expert Dr. Jeff Masters. Flooding reached 2.72 feet in San Diego and 2.53 feet in Los Angeles, respectively.In Newport Beach, California, the ‘Pirate House’ was one of the victims of the flooding, according to the Orange County Register. The house is known for being decorated with dozens of pirates and other outdoor decor. Fire crews were helping place sandbags at the home as community members gathered nearby. “This house is a landmark, it’s famous,” Sandy Gold told the outlet. “People come from everywhere just to see that house. I feel really bad for him. It went right through his house.”Records were also set in Florida. Flooding reached 2.25 feet above ground in South Port Everglades on Monday, surpassing a record set by Hurricane Nicole in 2022, according to Fox Weather.In West Palm Beach, a Corvette and a Ferrari were among the cars flooded on one road, according to CBS 12. In Martin County, Florida, Manatee Marina worker Danny Weis told the outlet the flooding started Monday and forced them to move their equipment. The area floods every year, he added, but 2026 was worse.“Everything here is flooded, including the parking lot,” Weis said. “We kind of just walk around, make sure the boats are tied up the right way, and just do what we can.” Monday ranked among the top five flood events on record at Lake Worth, Virginia Key and the city of the Kennedy Space Center.What’s driving the flooding?King tides typically occur when the moon, sun and Earth are nearly aligned, with the sun’s gravitational pull adding to the moon’s gravitational pull and higher tides, according to the National Ocean Service.There are multiple factors driving the high tides, including the pull of the moon and warm ocean waters (Reuters)But these higher tides are being supercharged. Water in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are at extremely high temperatures, and warmer waters mean swelling sea levels.There is “starting to be a pretty significant elevation of sea level that has both direct and indirect contributions from El Niño, plus the background warming of the ocean,” University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources climate scientist Daniel Swain told The Los Angeles Times Monday. The warm waters in the Pacific are also fueling this year’s El Niño, which usually brings higher water levels. Past events have raised West Coast water levels by more than 7.9 inches, according to NASA. Sea levels had been running 1.25-1.75 feet higher than normal before the king tides, according to the Long Beach Post. The flooding in Florida has also been driven by a weather pattern that features strong winds. Coastal areas were facing gusts between 30-40 miles per hour on Tuesday, WPBF 25 said.What’s expected to happen next?Peak flooding is expected to continue through Wednesday for the Southeast and concerns in California are projected through Thursday. There is also flooding anticipated in the Carolinas this week, AccuWeather says. But more exceptionally high tides are ahead around the November and December holidays and around full supermoons.“California officials identify Nov. 24-26, Dec. 23-25 and Jan. 21-22 as the next statewide king tide periods,” AccuWeather meteorologists said.Flooding is seen in Florida's Martin County on Monday. The Sunshine State will see more tidal flooding through the holidays (Martin County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)Florida is also expected to see impacts around these times.Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami told the Miami Herald that researchers knew about the King Tides in January, but didn’t know about a low pressure system that would add to the current flooding. “Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Irene in 1999 and this current high tide are so insanely close it’s basically a 3-way tie,” McNoldy told the newspaper.