This week, the highest tides of the season are testing shorelines from California to Florida. The Hunter’s Moon reached its full phase Sunday evening on the West Coast and shortly after midnight Monday in the East. The result has been flooded streets, eroded beaches and a string of coastal flood warnings.
King tides aren’t storms on their own, but they can act like one when other conditions line up. Here’s what’s happening on each coast, why it’s happening, and what these events tell us about the years ahead.
What A King Tide Actually Is
The term isn’t a formal scientific one. South Carolina’s environmental agency describes it as a non-scientific term for the highest seasonal tides that occur each year. A king tide is an unusually high tide that, on its own, can cause flooding in low-lying and coastal areas.
The cause is mostly orbital. These tides typically occur when a spring tide, at a new or full moon, coincides with the moon being closest to Earth, known as perigee. In Charleston, for example, the average high tide range is about 5.5 feet, while a king tide may reach 7 feet or higher.
Southern California Takes A Hit
Coastal flooding and erosion were reported in Orange County on Sunday, Oct. 25. Video showed floodwater reaching the doorsteps of multimillion-dollar homes in Southern California. The shoreline there is heavily built up, so even modest water level increases reach property quickly.
The numbers were striking. San Diego’s tide gauge reached 8.14 feet, nearly 1.5 feet above the predicted level and just over an inch below the reported record of 8.26 feet. Coastal flood warnings for San Diego and Orange counties were set to continue through 1 p.m. PDT Thursday.
Florida’s East Coast Under Water
Florida has had its own rough stretch. King tides overwhelmed sea walls and bubbled up through storm grates along the state’s east coast on Oct. 26, forcing road closures and traffic snarls. That water comes up from below, so it can’t simply be blocked at the curb.
Some places are seeing historic marks. King tide flooding has ranked among the top 5 flood events in multiple East Coast communities, including Virginia Key, South Port Everglades, Port Canaveral and Lake Worth Pier, according to the FOX Forecast Center. It was expected to mark at least the fifth consecutive day that water levels rose more than 2 feet above normally dry ground.
Wind, Rain And Swell Make It Worse
Astronomy sets the stage, but weather decides how bad it gets. Full moons enhance tides as the sun, Earth and moon align, but winds and other ocean conditions can raise water levels even higher. On the Southeast coast, persistent northeasterly winds are pushing seawater onshore.
Rain adds another layer. An upper-level low near Cuba is interacting with high pressure, drawing deep tropical moisture across the peninsula. South Carolina officials note that this is particularly troublesome when a king tide coincides with significant precipitation, because drainage and runoff are impeded.
Why Pumps Can’t Always Fix It
In Fort Lauderdale, officials delivered an unwelcome message. They warned residents to expect standing water on roads in tidal flooding areas, with some streets potentially impassable around peak tide. The city also said it was unable to pump the water out.
That reflects a basic limit of drainage systems. When the water in the outfall is higher than the street, gravity won’t help. Residents and businesses mostly have to wait for the tide to fall and prepare ahead of time.
Northeast Florida And The Carolinas
The threat isn’t limited to South Florida. King tides and strong northeast winds are causing significant flooding concerns across Northeast Florida, with impacts a National Weather Service forecaster says resemble those of a tropical storm. Coastal flood warnings were extended through Wednesday, with St. Johns, Nassau, Duval and Flagler counties among the most vulnerable.
Further north, impacts may also extend to low-lying coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina. AccuWeather meteorologists warned of repeated flooding cycles, heavy surf and severe rip currents along the Southeast Atlantic shoreline through the end of October.
A Preview Of Rising Seas
Scientists and coastal planners treat king tides as a rehearsal. Washington Sea Grant says these events offer a peek into the future and show what sea level rise could look like in coastal communities. South Carolina’s agency adds that the frequency and effect of king tides may increase due to gradual mean sea level rise.
That’s why many states ask the public to photograph the floods. South Carolina evaluates submitted photos for long-term analysis of coastal vulnerability and planning with municipalities. The images help planners see where water actually goes.
What Comes Next
This isn’t the last round of the season. The next king tide periods are listed as Nov. 24-26, Dec. 23-25 and Jan. 21-22. South Carolina’s list of predicted dates similarly shows November 24-27 as the next window.
Check local tide predictions and National Weather Service warnings before driving through low-lying areas. Whether a given king tide becomes a nuisance or a real emergency depends on wind, rain and swell. This week shows that on both coasts, that combination can arrive at once.
Conclusion
The king tides of late October 2026 have flooded neighborhoods in California and Florida, and they’ve pushed water levels close to or into the record books in some places. They’re predictable, which gives communities time to prepare, yet the weather riding on top of them isn’t.
The tide calendar is already marked for the coming months. How ready coastal towns are for those dates will say a lot about how they handle the higher seas expected in the future.
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