What Are These 'King Tides' I Keep Hearing About?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: What are the King Tides? –Norma Whitt
A: Today is Day 2 of the biggest tides of the year impacting the coastline of the Bay Area. The King Tides are back with minor coastal flooding strong rip currents and large breakers at Harbor entrances.
The highest points today occurred at 10:46 am at 6.93 feet. The final day of King Tides will be seen on Wednesday morning at 11:35am with a high tide forecast of 6.82 feet. During low tide, the waves could produce strong rip currents. This evening's low tide is -1.25 feet at 5:22 p.m.
The King Tides are a result of the increased gravitational pull of the sun and moon on earth. This is caused when the sun, moon and earth all reach their closest proximity to one another and line up perfectly, together, they create a maximum tug causing local waters to rise. Areas to avoid during high tide is the immediate coastline, low-lying roadways, parking lots and access to beaches, coastal trails or coves. Areas of great concern (but not limited to) is Shoreline & Highway 101, as well as the Manzanita Parking Lot in Marin County.
Never drive through flooded roadways. The average automobile can be swept off the road in 12 inches of moving water, and roads covered by water are prone to collapse. Attempting to drive through water also may stall your engine, with the potential to cause irreparable damage if you try to restart the engine. If you come upon a flooded street, take an alternate route.
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I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
