South Florida saw significant king tide flooding on Monday and Tuesday, with the current cycle expected to ease by the end of the week.
Some residents across Broward County, Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys said this was the worst king tide flooding they have ever experienced.
Seawater breached the seawall near the 4500 Block of Collins Avenue in Miami Beach Wednesday morning.
Other coastal areas around South Florida should experience flooding Wednesday, as the next high tides will take place between 10 a.m. and noon.
Scientists claimed the long-term threat is growing as sea levels continue to rise.
They also said future king tides could push water even higher, so protecting the coastlines may require more than just raising roads and installing pumps.
“The beach is narrower now. They’re getting steeper because the wave action can really cut in, so you may notice some rather steep, kind of, mini cliffs at the beach, and that’s the effect of, you know, more wave action working on those,” said Jason Box, professor of climatology at Nova Southeastern University. “So, to mitigate that again, artificial reefs is something to consider. Those have just been tested, and scaling them out is really the question.”
Long-term solutions will be necessary, but for now, residents and drivers are being urged to plan ahead, especially with low-landing areas where saltwater could quickly flood streets.
“Really better to plan around and just wait a few hours until the tides go down. We have the two tidal peaks per day, so you can plan around that, and I think it’s not worth going in deep because that saltwater can damage the vehicle,” said Box.
A coastal flood warning is in effect in Miami-Dade and Broward through 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The Florida Keys is also under a coastal flood warning until 5 a.m. Thursday.
