King Tides

California Coastal Areas See Astronomical High Tides

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The California coast experienced unusually high tides and possible minor flooding in some areas through Sunday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The astronomical tides, also known as King Tides, occurred each morning, followed by very low tides hours later each afternoon, the weather service said. The peak was on Saturday.

Coastal flood advisories were issued for low-lying areas of the San Francisco Bay shoreline and Humboldt Bay on the north coast.

In Southern California, a beach hazards advisory was issued for portions of the coast along Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties but no significant damage was expected.

The unusually high tides occur when the moon, Earth and sun come into alignment while the moon is closest to Earth and Earth is closest to the sun, the weather service said.

The California King Tides Project is encouraging anyone near the coast to send in photos of the high tides as part of its effort to increase understanding of what the state will experience as climate change causes sea level to rise.

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