On Sunday and Monday mornings, the celestial high tides called “King Tides” would hit California’s shorelines. With the incoming waters reaching a height of nearly 2.13 meters or almost 7 feet, the tidewaters would also hit nearby places comes Tuesday.
Despite the relief of the “King Tides” not bringing severe flooding consequences in the area, California is still taking precautionary measures for its low-lying spots to ensure residents’ safety and infrastructure protection. The Orange Counted Register reported some strategies done to Seal Beach. Before the arrival of the towering “King Tides,” laborers built sand barricades by the Seal Beach in hopes of shielding beachfront nearby houses and boardwalk.
On Sunday morning at Huntington Beach, Todd Miller eyes his 17-year-old son, Taj, as he went surfing with his friends. Taj knew the news warning of the “King Tides” hitting that area later in the day, so he asked his dad to go there with him two hours later than usual to prevent encountering dangerous surfing situations.
Although they anticipated it’s coming, Miller still noted that the water surges brought the ocean halfway back to the beach. According to the city, Huntington Beach experienced high tides measuring up to 2.1 meters or 6.89 feet by 8:23 a.m. on that same day.
The next “King Tides” occurrence would happen from December 13 to December 15 of this year.
A year ago, Imperial Beach did not expect a “King Tides” event to cause medium damages and inconveniences. The tides brought about some street flooding and a bit of erosion in the area. According to San Diego lifeguard Lt. Brian Clark, this year’s “King Tides” would not create much destruction. He stated that the waves are not huge enough to make drastic impacts on the beach’s coastal erosion dilemma.
However, Clark also warned that people should not bring their guards down and anticipate possible unexpected occurrences brought about by “King Tide,” such as shallow surf breaks. Additionally, he revealed that everyone should expect unpredictable tide changes once the phenomenon happens.
Footage of Newport Beach’s encounter with the previous “King Tides” revealed flooding of the spot’s parking spaces and boulevards during the summer of this year. The waters’ height is high enough to allow an individual to surf down the road.
When the sun, moon, and Earth align with each other, and the moon’s position is closest to the Earth, it causes a stronger gravitational pull to manifest. This phenomenon creates the “King Tides,” and they commonly occur on January 2 every year. When it happens, the tides get enhanced, resulting in the waves’ towering heights. However, the waters’ peak points become reduced around July 2 each year, when the Earth is farthest from the sun.
Base on scientific research, the highest tides to ever occur on the entire planet is the “King Tides.” Unlike calamity events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, these water surges are the easiest to predict and are naturally manifesting. Highest tides transpire roughly every 14 days on a lunar month. During the new and full moon circumstances, the moon and the sun align together and create gravitational pulls on the Earth’s water bodies. The highest tides in the lunular revolution become dubbed as “Spring Tides.” Furthermore, ocean conditions and local weather patterns could accurately measure an upcoming King Tide’s height measurements.
“King Tides” usually happens three or four times yearly. Additionally, the name is not a scientific term for this incident. Places such as New Zealand, Australia, and other Pacific states initially created the expression to describe the high tides occurring every year for several times. Currently, North America is also using this label, referring to South Florida’s most exposure to “King Tides” that often causes tidal flooding even during sunny days.