B.C. prepares for King Tides, forecast details here
Meteorologist
Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 11:47 AM - British Columbia is preparing for possible flooding as king tides will return to the Lower Mainland from Dec. 5-9.
The dry spell across the south continues as a ridge of high pressure builds over the province, which is expected to prevent flooding.
"King tides, to put it simply, are the highest tides and can result in coastal flooding," says The Weather Network meteorologist Erin Wenckstern.
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"Tides are the movement of water, caused by gravitational effects on Earth from the Moon and Sun, as well as the Earth’s rotation. Since the Moon’s orbit around Earth isn’t a perfect circle, there are days out of the year where the Moon is closer to Earth. During its closest approach, the Moon exerts a stronger gravitational force on the planet and the oceans bulge towards it in response, resulting in higher tides. The level of coastal flooding caused by tides depends on many different factors, including elevation and weather patterns. Occasionally, king tides will coincide with a powerful storm, heightening the threat for flooding."
With a lack of precipitation in the current forecast, the king tides are not expected to pose as big of a threat to the coast.
See the Tweet below for king tide times.
The City of Vancouver is asking residents to snap photos of the shoreline during the King Tides to help the city document rising sea levels.
Sandbags have been put in place in many areas across the South Coast as a preventative measure.
The tides typically reach one metre higher than normal, which puts low-lying coastal communities at risk for flooding.
SOURCE: City of Vancouver
