Monroe County, which includes the Everglades and Florida Keys National Park, and neighboring Miami-Dade County will be affected by King Tides, a term used to describe exceptionally higher than normal tidal cycles that typically occur during a moon. new or a full moon. when the moon makes its closest passage to Earth, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
During a King Tide, coastal flooding can occur even on days of good weather when there is no rain, Brink said, so King Tides can also be called a “sunny day flood” or “annoying flood.” “.
Miami-Dade County officials say “more severe flooding can occur if King Tides coincides with bad weather conditions, such as heavy rains, strong winds or high waves. However, rising sea levels make these tides occur more frequently and last longer and extend further inland than in the past. “
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), South Florida is seeing sea levels rise by 2 to 4 mm per year. While this may not seem like much, it adds up over time, and the higher the sea level, the higher the tides and the more coastal flooding, Brink said.
“In 2020, the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions experienced an increase of more than 400 to 1,100 percent, respectively, on days of high tide flooding compared to the ‘year 2000 “, according to NOAA. That means the southeast coast and Gulf Coast saw five or twelve times more high-tide flood days than they did just 20 years ago, according to Brink. So if a location only saw on average two days of high tide flooding in 2000, they could now live 10 to 24 days of flooding.
This high tide flooding could be even worse if a hurricane goes down these shores and forecasts have warned that the 2021 hurricane season is expected to be “above normal”.
Hurricanes typically produce two types of flooding: heavy rain flooding and storm surge flooding. With King Tides, storm surge flooding can get even worse when a storm surge is added over an abnormally high tide.
In Monroe County, King Tide floods are expected during the following dates: September 11-13, September 17-20, October 4-13, October 21-23, November 3-11, and 2 -December 8, officials said.
The county coordinated with the Key West National Meteorological Service and expects the “highest tides of the king” from October 8-11, November 5-9 and December 4-6, according to the statement.
Miami-Dade officials said residents should expect high water levels Sept. 9-11, Oct. 5-11, Oct. 20-21, Nov. 3-9. and from 2 to 7 December.
Officials encourage residents to “prepare for the real tides, be aware of their surroundings and avoid driving on flooded streets.”
CNN’s Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
.Source
Related