Orange County coast, particularly Huntington Beach, is experiencing the impacts of king tides, with abnormally high water levels causing flooding. King tides, or exceptionally high tides, occur three or four times a year and have recently hit the area. The city tweeted that further high tides are expected, with Public Works crews being mobilized to monitor dry weather flooding along some streets in Huntington Harbour & Sunset Beach.
According to the National Weather Service, the tides are expected to reach 7.2 to 7.8 feet in size, affecting not only Huntington Beach but also Catalina and Santa Barbara islands and coasts in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Malibu and Los Angeles counties. Newport Beach has also reported flooding.
Huntington Beach officials have highlighted that when the tides exceed 7.0 feet, certain areas are subject to dry weather flooding. To minimize the impact, crews are prepared to use portable water pumps as needed.
The NWS has advised the public to stay off rock jetties as they can be hazardous in these conditions. Despite the rising tides, the NWS does not anticipate any significant damage.