Water flooded Pacific Coast Highway and side streets in Sunset Beach on Thursday and Friday morning as unusually high “king tides” pulled the Pacific Ocean farther ashore than normal.
King tides occur several times a year, when the earth, moon and sun align in a way that increases gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans, raising water levels several feet above normal high tides. The non-scientific term also refers to extremely low tides.
Residents of Sunset Beach expect flooding, and the County of Orange has had some practices in place that involve monitoring its flood drains and using plastic balloons to balance the water levels. However, they apparently do not work during extreme conditions such as a king tide and/or high surf conditions due to winter storms.
While water filled some Sunset Beach residents’ garages were flooded, damage was generally slight and the occurrence was considered more than a nuisance than a threat to public safety.
