The scene looked like the aftermath of a hurricane, but no storm was near South Florida. Instead, historic king tides sent saltwater over seawalls, into neighborhoods and onto city streets, and forced the closure of Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Bridge.
Water levels climbed to heights comparable to those seen during some past hurricanes. Even longtime residents were stunned by how far the flooding reached. Images shared on social media showed downtown Fort Lauderdale submerged while the city's boat show was under way, with seawater pushed in from the ocean rather than falling as rain.
Florida Storms meteorologist Leslie Hudson described a rare collision of tides, wind and rising seas that carried water into places it had never reached before. Persistent onshore winds drove extra seawater against the coast at a time when astronomical tides were already exceptionally high, intensifying the flooding.
The National Weather Service office in Miami reported that the Virginia Key tidal gauge recorded a preliminary peak of 2.54 feet (MHHW) between 10 and 11 a.m. on October 27. Consistent records at the site began in 1994, and this reading ranks third highest since then. Only Hurricane Wilma, at 2.55 feet, and Hurricane Irma, at 3.63 feet, produced higher peaks.
The City of Fort Lauderdale had warned residents on October 26 that higher tides were expected over the following days because of the seasonal king tides. Officials said Tuesday, October 27, was expected to bring the year's highest tide, with approximate high tides listed for the evenings and mornings across the following days.
King tides are a natural occurrence, but scientists caution that rising sea levels are making coastal flooding more frequent and harder to manage. The event also exposed weaknesses in South Florida's aging drainage systems. When tides become exceptionally high, those systems can allow seawater to flow backward into streets.
The episode shows that serious flooding in the region no longer requires a tropical storm. A combination of high tides, steady winds and rising seas was enough to put parts of Fort Lauderdale underwater and to match levels recorded during well-known hurricanes.
