Savannah, Charleston see abnormally high tides during storm

Caption

Cardinal Drive across the street from Herb Creek on Isle of Hope on Friday morning, Nov. 5 during a king tide.

Credit: via The Current

Officials say a strong storm off the Southeast coast combined with periodic higher tides to cause coastal flooding that approached levels rarely seen outside of hurricanes along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts.

Sunday morning's high tide reached 10.45 feet at Fort Pulaski, just east of Savannah, Georgia. It was the fourth highest tide in the 85 years that the gauge has been in place.

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The Sunday high tide in Charleston Harbor reached 8.51 feet, which is the 10th highest level in the century of recording at that site. The flooding closed a number of roads but did not cause major damage.

Sunday’s high tides were the culmination of four days of rising ocean water pushed ashore by both winds from a strong autumn storm offshore and periodic King Tides when the moon’s location causes the water level to increase.

Meteorologists say it is happening more frequently with rising sea levels cause by global warming.