The one-two punch of a higher-than-usual tide and weeks of heavy rain submerged South Florida streets this weekend and put the region under a coastal flood advisory.
Starting Saturday evening and continuing into Sunday morning’s high tide, the ocean poured into urban cities up and down the coast, breaking a recent record for flooding in Fort Lauderdale and snarling traffic in both counties.
Fort Lauderdale police shut down 2 miles of beachfront road A1A due to flooding. On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level. On Northeast 15th Street in Miami, social media video showed a Waymo backing up on the street to avoid the floodwaters.
King tides two feet higher than normal high tides swept across the Hollywood Broadwalk on Sunday Sept. 27, 2026. Alex Harris aharris@miamiherald.com
The Hollywood Broadwalk was submerged in several inches of water early Sunday. By mid-morning, deep puddles still dotted the miles long pathway. Joggers, bikers and rollerbladers carefully picked their way through the saltwater.
Richard Castillo, a 60-year-old lawyer and longtime Hollywood resident, watched the tides from the back porch of his beachfront home.
“Last night, the tides were as high as I’ve ever seen them coming across the road,” he said. “This is unique, and a direct product of global warming.”
A full moon this weekend marks the latest in the series of king tides — the highest annual tides — that regularly creep into coastal communities. But it’s flooding more than initial predictions called for.
Robert Molleda, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service’s Miami office, called the flooding an “above-average” event but said he hadn’t heard of water seeping into homes and businesses yet.
A car drives through a flooded street at A1A and Mayan Drive as a king tide led to sunny-day flooding on streets throughout South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday Sept. 27, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
High tide measured at Broward’s Port Everglades and Miami’s Virginia Key has brought moderate coastal flooding for the last few days: about 2 feet more water than normal high tide, with Sunday morning bringing the highest amount.
That’s the highest flooding measured at Broward’s station since it was installed in 2018, topping 2022’s Hurricane Nicole. It ranks fourth for the much older station in Miami, nearly two feet below the high water mark set by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The floodwaters receded by midday as the tide ebbed and the sun dried out puddles, but they will return at the next high tide, around 9:30 p.m. Monday will likely also see more flooding during the 9:30 a.m. high tide.
Flooding along A1A and near NE 15th Street in Fort Lauderdale Beach around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Fort Lauderdale police shut down 2 miles of A1A due to flooding about an hour later. Dana Banker
It’s not quite to the “major” flooding designation of 2.5 feet, but it’s enough to wreak some havoc in South Florida. It’s also a sign of what’s to come from sea level rise. As climate change warms the world, sea levels are rising and pushing these king tides higher and higher.
Sea levels have risen 8 inches alone in the last 30 years, and another foot is on the way by about 2050, research suggests.
READ MORE: King tides in South Florida: Getting worse and a sign of sea level rise to come
This king tide window is expected to keep rolling through Monday before slowing pulling back to normal by Saturday or so. Another peak is expected from Oct. 9 through the 11, and it’s expected to be a little higher than this weekend.
There are three more king tide periods expected this year, and scientists predict that the next one will be the highest of the year.
Oct. 22-Nov. 12, 2026Nov. 22-29, 2026Dec. 22-27, 2026
Molleda, with NWS Miami, said the forecast calls for little rain for the next two days, when tides are expected to be the highest. Rain creeps back into the forecast by the middle of next week, when the tides are expected to be closer to normal.
“Hopefully, as the rainfall chances increase in the coming days, the tides will fall,” he said.
King tide submerged the intersection of Ocean Drive and College Street in Hollywood, Florida on Sunday Sept. 27, 2026. Alex Harris aharris@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published September 27, 2026 at 9:42 AM.
Alex Harris is the lead climate change reporter for the Miami Herald’s climate team, which covers how South Florida communities are adapting to the warming world. Her beat also includes environmental issues and hurricanes. She attended the University of Florida.