Weather & WaterTop story
King tide flooding is hitting records, and two more rounds are on the way
Miami has passed its earlier high of nine flood days
Sources: El Nuevo Herald, Miami Herald
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Most in an earlier year | 9 |
| 2026 so far | 15 |
If you've felt like king tides are getting worse, the data agree. Miami has had 15 days of serious flooding so far this year at the Virginia Key tidal gauge, according to the Miami Herald. The most in any earlier year was nine, and two more king tides are due: one this weekend and one the week of Thanksgiving.
In Fort Lauderdale, the city closed the Las Olas Bridge on Tues., Oct. 27, locking it in the open position to keep drivers out of floodwater. Officials also encouraged residents to move parked cars to higher ground before high tides. With another king tide due, we suggest doing that now.
- King tide peaks that Tuesday: around 9:45 a.m. and 9:45 p.m.
- NASA projection: 24 flood days in Miami by 2035
- NASA: Miami could see 75 flood days a year by 2045
Storms aren't the main culprit anymore. Of the 14 highest tides at the Virginia Key gauge, 10 were king tides, and eight of those came in the last two years. FIU's Tiffany Troxler, who saw the record Tues., Oct. 27 flooding, said: “Locations that I’d never seen flood were flooding.”
Ten of the 14 highest tides at Virginia Key were king tides
10 of 14
- were king tides
- 4 were not king tides
Source: El Nuevo Herald
View as table
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| were king tides | 10 | 71% |
| were not king tides | 4 | 29% |
