MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – King tides have arrived in South Florida, and if you couple that with offshore winds and rainfall, there could be serious flooding issues.
Experts say the peak high tides are expected this weekend, causing water levels to rise up to two feet above normal.
When this happens, it has the potential to flood streets, docks and yards of low-lying homes.
We’ve seen this flooding happen before in areas like Haulover Marina, where water has covered the boat ramps and parking lot.
Miami Beach is also no stranger to that type of flooding, especially with the grounds already saturated from the recent storms South Florida has experienced.
City officials say they’ve made some adjustments to their streets and drainage and have learned how to prepare. The city is offering parking garage access to residents with flood-prone vehicles and could deploy digital signs to warn drivers of flooded streets.
Local 10 News’ Roy Ramos spoke with city leaders about how they are monitoring the situation and preparing.
“Today we saw a king tide that wasn’t too bad,” said Amy Knowles, Chief Resilience Officer and Dir. Of Environmental Sustainability for Miami Beach. “We saw a tide that was 1.8 feet. We’re really trying to get the word out.”
The city of Miami Beach, along with Miami-Dade County, are also deploying storm water pumps in the event they are needed.
High tide is expected at 9:25 p.m. Thursday and it typically lasts around three hours.