California coastal cities could see more flooding beginning Jan. 10 as King Tides—which are exceptionally high tides that occur during a new or full moon—and high ocean swells arrive in the region.
The combination could bring waves reaching 17 feet along the state’s central coast, including Santa Cruz County, while southern San Diego residents could see waves up to 11 feet through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s going to be imperative that people really stay out of the water if they’re not strong swimmers, and definitely know their limits when heading to the beaches,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Elizabeth Adams in the San Diego office told The Epoch Times.
In San Diego, the King Tides will reach 6.5 feet at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and 6.74 feet on Thursday and Friday between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. The tides will be lower on Saturday, reaching just under 6.5 feet at 9:45 a.m.
This month’s new moon appears on Thursday.
San Diego will also have low tides about 1.5 feet lower than the average from Wednesday through Saturday, according to the weather service. Low tides can also cause damage, according to the agency.
“We can also see impacts from the very low tides, as well,” Ms. Adams said. “It can impact boaters in the harbor because the water gets really low, impacting navigation and potentially damaging some vessels in the harbor.”
The weather service has issued coastal flood advisories for the central and southern California regions through Thursday. The area is also expecting dangerous riptide conditions, according to the weather service.
The high tides are occurring at the same time the region is experiencing high surf from an offshore storm system, adding to the possibility of flooding in low-lying beach areas.
“We already have King Tides coming in, and then the high surf that exacerbates it,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex Tardy in San Diego told The Epoch Times, adding that a storm system north of the state is increasing the swell energy and creating high surf along the coasts.
“When the two of them occur at the same time, that’s what causes flooding,” Mr. Tardy said.
In Los Angeles County, King Tides are also expected for Thursday and Friday, along with high surf and strong rip currents. The weather service issued a moderate coastal flood advisory for Wednesday and Thursday for the central coast, and Los Angeles and Ventura counties, warning residents of the threat and beach erosion.
High tides in the region are forecast to reach up to 7.5 feet during the event, the weather service reported.
This week’s event is not expected to be as severe as the Dec. 28–30 event that drew monster waves in Ventura County, flooding some streets and injuring at least eight onlookers.
Waves this week should reach 10–15 feet building up to 17 feet high by Thursday along the state’s central coast that includes Santa Cruz County.
Waves could reach 4–7 feet Tuesday building to 7–9 feet by Thursday in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, and reach 10 feet along Santa Barbara’s south coast near Point Conception, according to the weather service.
The region is also expecting strong rip currents from Tuesday through Thursday.
A man walks with his dog along a flooded bike path during the "King Tide" in Mill Valley, Calif., on Jan. 3, 2022. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
