Record high tides were set this week in Santa Barbara, San Pedro, San Diego and nearby La Jolla, according to the weather service.
In Sunset Beach, the water washed over the three layers of sandbags that Lorraine Friedman, 75, had stacked inside her garage and on the small patio outside her studio apartment. She has lived in the seaside community for nearly three decades and her apartment has flooded only once before, some 20 years ago.
“This is the second day I’ve been flooded — two days — and tomorrow I’ll get flooded again,” she said Wednesday.
In the northern part of the state, minor flooding was expected through Saturday in low-lying areas along shorelines and tidal waterways during peak high tides, the weather service said.
Gass said the coastal flooding generally occurred within 1 1/2 hours before and after high tides, which are peaking 1.9 feet (about a half-meter) above normal in Northern California.
Most of Florida’s Atlantic coast was under flood warnings through early Friday. Street flooding also was reported in South Carolina coastal cities, including Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and rip currents were possible as far north as North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
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King tides hit East and West Coast with flooding
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“It’s been a rough beach week,” Fisher said. “We’ve had a high risk of rip currents and some high surf out there. The beach conditions are going to continue to be rough through the weekend. It’s been a good week to stay out of the water and stay away from the beaches.”
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, getting to the multiple waterfront venues at what’s billed as the world’s largest-in-water boat show was tricky, requiring driving through flooded streets next to marinas, hotels and convention centers.
Virginia Key, a barrier island in Miami, saw its highest king tide and the third-highest water level since records were first kept going back three decades, Fisher said.
“The only times we’ve seen higher was during hurricanes,” Fisher said. “It’s historical from a king tide perspective.”