King Tides Today Along SoCal Coast

Today is expected to be the highest of four days of above-average tide levels that began hitting the Southern California coast on Tuesday, raising the possibility of coastal flooding.

The National Weather Service forecast that the so-called King Tides, the highest astronomical tides of the year, will be seen in the hours just after dawn until at least Friday.

The NWS said the highest level of the week will be today, with a level of 7.6 feet at 7:51 a.m., followed by 7.5 feet on Thursday at 8:31 a.m., and 7.3 feet at 9:12 a.m. Friday.

Orange County’s Seal and Sunset beaches were considered the most susceptible to localized flooding, the NWS said. A coastal flooding advisory will be in effect until Friday morning.

A similar advisory is also in effect in Los Angeles County, with forecasters saying minor flooding is possible during the morning high tide in areas such as Long Beach, Playa del Rey, Venice and Malibu.

The NWS warned that beach parking lots and nearby streets and structures could be left briefly under water, while stronger rip currents would be present off-shore.

Affected areas were likely to face more severe issues today, with on-shore winds and three- to four-foot surf compounding the impact of the higher tide, according to the NWS.