{"id":901303,"date":"2026-10-31T17:50:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/901303\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T17:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:50:14","slug":"king-tides-may-flood-california-florida-on-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/901303\/","title":{"rendered":"King tides may flood California, Florida on Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami king tide flooding breaks records without a hurricane<\/p>\n

The next round of king tides over Thanksgiving week could lead to more flooding along the coast in California and Florida, and super El Ni\u00f1o could continue that threat into the winter. <\/p>\n

Latest record round<\/p>\n

King tides are the highest of the high tides in a year, triggered by the pull of gravity when the moon, sun and Earth align. <\/p>\n

(WATCH: King tides explained<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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October’s king tides lead to record flood levels<\/a> in many locations in Southern California, including L.A. and San Diego, flooding roads, buildings and eating at beachfront properties. <\/p>\n

These West Coast king tides were boosted by a slow-moving sloshing of warm water driven against the coast called a Kelvin wave<\/a> spawned by El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> atop already record warm ocean water near the California coast<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In South Florida, Virginia Key, near Miami, had moderate flooding for a record-long 10-day streak<\/a>, with the highest water levels other than during Hurricanes Irma or Wilma. <\/p>\n

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(MORE: October flooding impacts in Florida, California<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

City workers inspect a flooded area due to high tide, in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.<\/p>\n

(AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/p>\n

Holiday concerns<\/p>\n

The next king tides will arrive during Thanksgiving week, when the next full moon occurs. <\/p>\n

West Coast<\/p>\n

Along the West Coast, the flooding could be worse than what we’ve just seen.<\/p>\n

“In California, tides will be about half a foot higher than the highest in October,” physical oceanographer Greg Dusek told weather.com. <\/p>\n

“This means that even if El Ni\u00f1o doesn’t increase water levels further, there will be significant flooding along the California coast,” Dusek said.<\/p>\n

As the graph below shows from Dusek’s coastal water level dashboard<\/a>, additional king tide flooding is likely in California and parts of the West Coast again during Christmas week, then again in late January. <\/p>\n

The highest king tides of the year along the West Coast typically occur around the winter and summer solstices. <\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

This graph shows predicted highest tide for king tides in late November, December and January 2026-27 in inches above the average high tide level. This forecast from Oct. 30, 2026, assumes water levels stay as far above average as they were at the time.<\/p>\n

(Hohonu.io\/Greg Dusek)<\/p>\n

Florida, Southeast<\/p>\n

Subtracting any possible influence from winds or storms, which we’ll discuss later, Dusek predicted the highest tides in the Southeast U.S. in November will be similar to what just happened. <\/p>\n

University of Miami scientist Brian McNoldy pointed out in a Bluesky post that ocean water levels along the South Florida coast are typically highest in October, due not only to tides, but also from how warm the ocean is and typical weather patterns at that time of year.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is there’s another significant threat of impactful tidal flooding over Thanksgiving week along the Southeast coast, including Florida’s Atlantic beaches. <\/p>\n

A large wild card<\/p>\n

There is one factor that can greatly increase the coastal flooding during a king tide.<\/p>\n

Namely, the weather.<\/p>\n

“If there are storms, or even onshore winds, there will be concerns of additional flooding,” said Dusek.<\/p>\n

A pattern of persistent strong onshore winds gave a boost to flooding along the Florida Atlantic coast in late October. <\/p>\n

And what is likely to be the strongest El Ni\u00f1o in modern records<\/a> will not only keep ocean water near California much warmer than usual, but also will turbocharge the southern jet stream through spring.<\/p>\n

\"El<\/p>\n

That increases the risk of strong Pacific storms barreling into California with battering waves, heavy rain and winds. It also raises the chance of storm tracks more favorable for Southeast coastal flooding. <\/p>\n

It’s far too soon to tell if one or more storms may move in or develop during the next king tides, but if one happens during either Thanksgiving or Christmas week, that could only increase the impacts from king tide coastal flooding.<\/p>\n

If you live in or drive through one of these areas affected by flooding in recent days, be prepared for additional coastal flooding in the months ahead. <\/p>\n

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky<\/a>, X (formerly Twitter)<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n